{"id":54922,"date":"2019-05-05T13:09:59","date_gmt":"2019-05-05T10:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=54922"},"modified":"2022-11-28T09:12:35","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T07:12:35","slug":"kenaz-and-the-twelve-precious-stones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/kenaz-and-the-twelve-precious-stones\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenaz And The Twelve Precious Stones"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[395,363],"acf":{"old_id":"54922","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33877,"related_cahpter":"212","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"A rich midrashic elaboration of an otherwise minor character, with holy nymphs and jewel encrusted idols...","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Book of Judges opens with an ominous question: \u201cAfter the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, \u2018Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?\u2019\u201d (Judges 1:1). In the extended answer to this request, we are told: \u201cAnd Caleb said, \u2018I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriat Sefer\u2019. Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb\u2019s younger brother, conquered it. So, Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage\u201d (verses 12-13). Scripture tells us little more about Kenaz (see also Joshua 15:17, 1 Chronicles 4:13, 15 and compare Genesis 36:11, 15, 42 where there is mention of an apparently earlier individual named Kenaz). But the very paucity of information about this little-known biblical figure, seems to have inspired the Jewish imagination to weave a wonderfully rich legend around him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a work known as the Biblical Antiquities (Pseudo-Philo), composed originally in Hebrew in the first century CE, we find an extended narrative about Kenaz (Chapters 25-28). After the death of Joshua (Joshua 1:1), Kenaz became prince over Israel. In order to insure victory in the coming battles against the remaining Canaanite enemy, Kenaz first purged sinners from among the Israelite tribes. Among them were the tribe of Dan, who had taught their children out of the forbidden books of the Amorites, which they had hidden under Abraham\u2019s mountain (see Genesis 22:2). Similarly, the tribe of Asher had hidden under Mount Shechem seven golden idols called by the Amorites the \u201choly nymphs\u201d. These idols were encrusted with precious stones, which radiated light, making night as bright as day. Kenaz burnt all the sinful possessions of the Israelites at the River Pishon (see Genesis 2:11-12 on the River Pishon that encompasses the Land of Havilah \u201cwhere there is crystal and onyx\u201d). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the Amorite books and the idols of precious stones remained unscathed by fire or water. So, Kenaz placed them on an altar. God sent down heavenly dew upon the books obliterating what was written in them. Then God sent forth lightning to destroy what was left. At God\u2019s command, an angel cast the seven jewel encrusted idols to the bottom of the sea, where the deep swallowed them up. Another angel brought down from heaven twelve other gems, on which were engraved the names of the twelve sons of Jacob, the forefathers of the Israelite tribes. Kenaz set these precious stones in the Ephod (the outer garment of the High Priest), together with the twelve stones on the Hoshen (Breast-Plate) (see Exodus 28:15-29). \u00a0Finally, Kenaz deposited the twelve precious stones he had received from the angel in the Holy Ark &#8212; together with the Tablets of the Covenant \u2013 \u201cwhere they illumined the earth like the midday sun \u2026 and they are there to this day\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>image:\u00a0Breastplate on the front of the central Sephardic synagogue in Ramat Gan, by\u00a0Dr. Avishai Teicher Pikiwiki Israel<\/p>\n","image":{"ID":54926,"id":54926,"title":"jud1-breastplate","filename":"jud1-breastplate.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud1-breastplate.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/kenaz-and-the-twelve-precious-stones\/jud1-breastplate\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jud1-breastplate","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":54922,"date":"2019-05-05 10:09:45","modified":"2022-06-07 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