The Book of Daniel/ספר דניאל

1. Introduction and Historical Background

2. Chronology in the Book of Daniel

3. Chapter 1: Keeping Kosher in Exile

4. Chapter 2a: Does Anyone Know Nebuchadnezzar's Dream?

5. Chapter 2b: The Statue Has Feet of Clay

6. Chapter 3:1-30: The Colossus

7. Chapter 3:31, Chapter 4: Nebuchadnezzar's Madness

8. Chapter 5: Belshazzar's Feast

9. Chapter 6: Daniel in the Pit of Lions

General Resources 

• מקראות גדולות, אם מלבים, מצודה, רש"י, אבן עזרא

• R' Levy's Nach Yomi on-line lectures

• Articles on daat.ac.il

• Aramaic->Hebrew Translation

• Wikipedia article

• על מקומו המקורי של ספר דניאל בתנ"ך העברי מאת רבקה רביב

• מבוא לספר דניאל בדעת מקרא

• Daniel, by John Goldingay (in the school library).

• מור והדס - עיונים בדניאל ואסתר - מחבר : אריאל, יגאל

Unit 1: Introduction and Historical Background

Goals

The goal is to familiarize the students with the politics, geography, and geopolitics of the short rise and fall of the Babylonian Empire.  For the book of Daniel, the focus is less on how that rise affected the nation of Judea in the land of Israel; we deal primarily with how it affected the Jews who were taken into exile.  Their two primary concerns were:

a)  How does one live outside of Israel?

b) When would the Babylonian domination end and the return to Zion begin? 

Essential understandings

• The demise of the Assyrian Empire (626-605 BCE) opened the geographical pathway for the Babylonians to conquer north and east, including Israel.  The Arabian Desert was not passable; all travel went via the Tigris or the Euphrates.  To get to Israel from Mesopotamia, you have to go up and around.

• Egypt, the other superpower, was trying to support Assyria because they knew that Babylonia would be worse for them.

• The Levant, i.e. Israel, Lebanon, Syria, was the political and actual battleground between the two superpowers, Babylonia and Egypt. 

• Babylonia defeated Egypt and destroyed Assyria with the support of the Medes and the Scythians.  Only the Medes are important to the book of Daniel.

• The Babylonians were ruled by a subgroup called the כסדים, or in English, Chaldeans.

• Nebuchadnezzar II, while not the first king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, was the most dynamic.  He destroyed Israel and the First Temple.

• 11 years before the destruction of the Judah and the First Temple, Nebuchadnezzar II exiled many of the aristocracy and royal family to Babel, the capital of Babylonia.  Daniel and his three companions were among these captives.

A Short History

The end of the nation of Judah (which at that time included most of northern Israel) came at the hands of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The Babylonians, with help from the Medes and the Scythians, had destroyed the Assyrian Empire. This opened up the road past the fertile crescent into the Levant, i.e. Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. (The only way to travel to the Levant was to stay between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers before heading east around Carchamish.)

Ashurbanipal was the last great King of the Assyrian empire, whose capital was Nineveh (modern day Mosul) in northern Mesopotamia. Ashurbanipal died in 627 BCE, the 13th year of Yoshiyahu ben Amon, King of Judah. This was also the first year of Yirmiyahu's prophecy, when he saw a nation coming to attack from the north. That nation, as it turned out, was Babylonia, not Assyria. Following Ashurbanipal's death, the crumbling Assyrian kingdom split between his two sons, Sin-shar-ishkin and Ashuruballit II. Also following Ashurbanipal's death, Nabopolassar, the head of the Chaldeans (כסדים), a Semitic tribe living in the marshes down by the Persian Gulf who had claimed authority over the entire Babylonian kingdom, ejected Sin-shar-ishkin from southern Mesopotamia. Nabopolassar made a treaty with the Medes to conquer Northern Mesopotamia from the Assyrians. The Assyrian capital of Nineveh fell in 612 BCE to the Medes, who didn't wait for the Babylonians to show up. Nabopolassar took control of the city.

The remnants of the Assyrians under Ashuruballit II retreated to Haran, in northern Syria, to make their last stand. Egypt, under the rule of Pharaoh Necho II, sent troops to assist the Assyrians. King Yoshiyahu tried to stop Necho and his army in 609 BCE, in Megiddo, and was killed for his troubles. The Assyrians fell to the Babylonians at the battle of Battle of Carchemish, and the Babylonian Empire began its uncontested rule.

After King Yoshiyahu was killed, the national leaders (עם הארץ) appointed Yoshiyahu's son Yehoachaz as ruler. He was not the oldest son; apparently he was selected because the leaders thought him easy to control, and because he supported their pro-Babylonian, anti-Egyptian posture. Pharaoh Necho was not amused, and deposed him after 3 MONTHS. 

Yoshiyahu's son Yehoyakim was put on the throne in 609-8. In 605, Nebuchadnezzar managed to force Egypt back into her own territory as well. After that campaign, Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon, having heard that his father Nebopolassar had died, and assumed the throne. This turn of world events is referred to by Yirmiyahu in chapter 46:.  אֲשֶׁר הָיָה דְבַר-יְהוָה אֶל-יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא עַל-הַגּוֹיִם לְמִצְרַיִם עַל-חֵיל פַּרְעֹה נְכוֹ מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר-הָיָה עַל-נְהַר-פְּרָת בְּכַרְכְּמִשׁ אֲשֶׁר הִכָּה נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל בִּשְׁנַת הָרְבִיעִית לִיהוֹיָקִים בֶּן-יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה:

Yirmiyahu 25:1 (בשנה הרביעית ליהויקים בן יאשיהו מלך יהודה היא השנה הראשונה לנבוכדנאצר) matches the Babylonian Chronicles, dating Nebuchadnezzar II’s ascension to the throne as 605 BCE. Apparently  יהויקים submitted to Babylon for three years—until the seventh year of his rule—and then rebelled, falling back under Egyptian control, as it says in II Kings 24: בְּיָמָיו עָלָה נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וַיְהִי-לוֹ יְהוֹיָקִים עֶבֶד שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים וַיָּשָׁב וַיִּמְרָד-בּוֹ.  That rebellion lasted for three years, until Nebuchadnezzar returned. Yehoyakim died, and in 3023 the Judeans were exiled, as Yirmiyahu reports in chapter 52:  זֶה הָעָם אֲשֶׁר הֶגְלָה נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר בִּשְׁנַת-שֶׁבַע יְהוּדִים שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וְעֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה.

Yehoyachin took over for his father יהויקים, but lasted only three months until Nebuchadnezzar II had him deposed and replaced him on the throne with his uncle, Matanya (Yoshiyahu's son). Matanya was renamed Tzidkiyahu under the direction of Jeremiah the prophet. At some point Tzidkiyahu rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar II as well. Jerusalem was besieged in Tzidkiyahu's 9th year; during his 11th year (587/586), the kingdom of Yehuda and the Beit HaMikdash were destroyed.

Unit 2: Chronology in the Book of Daniel

Goals

The goal is to place the events of this book in the correct historical context, which includes an understanding of which kings or empires were in power at those points in time. 

Essential understandings

• • Daniel and his friends are taken into exile, along with the aristocrats and members of the royalty, shortly after Nebuchadnezzar II's first siege of Jerusalem and his plundering of the Temple. The siege begins בִּשְׁנַת שָׁלוֹשׁ לְמַלְכוּת יְהוֹיָקִים מֶלֶךְ-יְהוּדָה בָּא נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ-בָּבֶל יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיָּצַר עָלֶיהָ.  The initial dating, בִּשְׁנַת שָׁלוֹשׁ,  is difficult since Nebuchadnezzar II assumes the throne in יְהוֹיָקִים's 4th year, according to Yirmiyahu chapter 25.  See commentaries.  However, the two most likely solutions are:

  1. a. The siege began right before Nebuchadnezzar II was king in 606 BCE, but the plundering took place afterwards;  

  2. b. The "third year" means the third year of ְיהוֹיָקִים's independent rule, after he rebelled against his Babylonian overlord. That would be during his 11th year, in 597 BCE.

• Young royals of conquered states were often exiled and raised in the palace of the conqueror to make them loyal. They could then be sent back to their homes to govern, while retaining their loyalty to the conqueror. 

• The dating in Chapter 2 is difficult, since Daniel and his companion's scribal training took three years. See commentaries for solutions.

• The Book of Daniel mentions three Babylonian kings: 

  • Nebuchadnezzar represents the beginning of the Empire.  The book ignores his father Nebopolassar since he had no direct affect on Israel.  Tanach refers to Nebuchadnezzar's son, Evil-Merodach (who freed Yehoyachin from prison), but our book ignores him, since it jumps to the final native Babylonian king, Balthazar.

  • Balthazar.  Non-biblical sources show that Balthazar was actually a regent, set up by his father Nabonides when the latter took a ten-year vacation in the Arabian oasis of Tema.  Tanach never mentions Nabonides; however, he was known to non-biblical Jewish histories, as is evident from the Dead Sea Scroll 4Q Prayer Of Nabonides [4QPrNab ar].    When the Book of Daniel refers to Balthazar as "the son of Nebuchadnezzar," it does not mean he is his actual son, merely that he is a successor.  Note that both Yoshiyahu and Chizkiyahu are called "ben David," and Zerubavel was called "ben She'altiel," even though She'altiel was his grandfather.  Also, make sure the students don't confuse Balthazar with Daniel's Babylonian name, Baltethazar.

  • Darius the Mede was apparently set up by the Medians and Babylonians in an attempt to prop up the Babylonian empire in the face of the oncoming Persian empire under Cyrus the Great.  It didn't work.  Darius the Mede's father אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ is not the אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ of the Esther story.

• The book of Daniel also mentions Cyrus the Great; however, only the final apocalypse in chapters 10-12 takes place during Cyrus' time, and this material is not in our syllabus.

• Nebuchadnezzar rules from 605 BCE.  Balthazar rules until near the end of the Babylonian empire, in 539 BCE.  Our book ignores all the kings in between, although their existence may be hinted at in chapter 2 (to be discussed later).

• In Darius the Mede’s first (and perhaps only) year of rule, 540/539, Daniel is beginning to worry (in Chapter 9) why the end of the exile has not come, and why the Babylonian empire is being propped up by a Mede.  In Chapter 10, in the third year of Cyrus the great, Daniel is sure the exile should be over, causing him to receive the final apocalypse, which is not on the curriculum.

The Seventy Years

Jeremiah sends a letter to the exiles predicting 70 years of exile. The count begins from the rise of the Babylonian empire; according to the Jewish view, this is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BCE.  Chapter 25 says:

הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר-הָיָה עַל-יִרְמְיָהוּ עַל-כָּל-עַם יְהוּדָה בַּשָּנָה הָרְבִעִית לִיהוֹיָקִים בֶּן-יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה הִיא הַשָּנָה הָרִאשֹׁנִית לִנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא עַל-כָּל-עַם יְהוּדָה וְאֶל כָּל-יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם לֵאמֹר...וְהַאֲבַדְתִּי מֵהֶם קוֹל שָׂשׂוֹן וְקוֹל שִׂמְחָה קוֹל חָתָן וְקוֹל כַּלָּה קוֹל רֵחַיִם וְאוֹר נֵר וְהָיְתָה כָּל-הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת לְחָרְבָּה לְשַׁמָּה וְעָבְדוּ הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה אֶת-מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וְהָיָה כִמְלֹאות שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה אֶפְקֹד עַל-מֶלֶךְ-בָּבֶל וְעַל-הַגּוֹי הַהוּא נְאֻם-יְהוָה אֶת-עֲוֹנָם וְעַל-אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים וְשַׂמְתִּי אֹתוֹ לְשִׁמְמוֹת עוֹלָם

Chapter 29 contains the letter Jeremiah sent to the exiles

ְאֵלֶּה דִּבְרֵי הַסֵּפֶר אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח יִרְמְיָה הַנָּבִיא מִירוּשָׁלִָם אֶל-יֶתֶר זִקְנֵי הַגּוֹלָה וְאֶל-הַכֹּהֲנִים וְאֶל-הַנְּבִיאִים וְאֶל-כָּל-הָעָם אֲשֶׁר הֶגְלָה נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר מִירוּשָׁלִַם בָּבֶלָה אַחֲרֵי צֵאת יְכָנְיָה-הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַגְּבִירָה וְהַסָּרִיסִים שָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלִַם וְהֶחָרָשׁ וְהַמַּסְגֵּר מִירוּשָׁלִָם...כִּי-כֹה אָמַר יְהוָה כִּי לְפִי מְלֹאת לְבָבֶל שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה אֶפְקֹד אֶתְכֶם וַהֲקִמֹתִי עֲלֵיכֶם אֶת-דְּבָרִי הַטּוֹב לְהָשִׁיב אֶתְכֶם אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה 

This would bring the end of the Babylonian exile to 536 BCE, the third year of Cyrus' rule, which is why Daniel is so distraught in Chapter 10 (not a part of the curriculum).

בִּשְׁנַת שָׁלוֹשׁ לְכוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס דָּבָר נִגְלָה לְדָנִיֵּאל אֲשֶׁר-נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ בֵּלְטְאשַׁצַּר וֶאֱמֶת הַדָּבָר וְצָבָא גָדוֹל וּבִין אֶת-הַדָּבָר וּבִינָה לוֹ בַּמַּרְאֶה בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם אֲנִי דָנִיֵּאל הָיִיתִי מִתְאַבֵּל שְׁלֹשָׁה שָׁבֻעִים יָמִים לֶחֶם חֲמֻדוֹת לֹא אָכַלְתִּי וּבָשָׂר וָיַיִן לֹא-בָא אֶל-פִּי וְסוֹךְ לֹא-סָכְתִּי עַד-מְלֹאת שְׁלֹשֶׁת שָׁבֻעִים יָמִים

However, three years earlier, in the first year of Darius the Mede, Daniel is starting to worry about the end of the exile.  Because the Babylonian Kingdom was apparently being propped up by a Median king, Daniel may be worried about this possibly interfering with Yirmiyahu's prophecy.

Many people assume that the 70-year timeframe begins from the destruction of the Temple in 587/6, and in fact, the prophet Zecharya does seem to indicate a 70-year period from destruction to rebuilding. (The rebuilding of the second temple occurred during the fourth year of Darius I the Persian, which would be in 518 BCE. That is 70 years after the city and the Temple's destruction.) However, this is not the 70-year cycle to which Jeremiah and Daniel refer.

A Graphical Timeline

Unit 3: Chapter 1-Keeping Kosher in Exile

Enduring Understandings

• One of the book’s primary goals is to deal with the question, "How Does a Jew Live in Exile?"
• Daniel and his three companions are probably members of the royal family. Young royals of conquered states were often exiled and raised in the palace of the conqueror to make them loyal.  They could be then sent back to their home countries to govern, while retaining loyalty to the conqueror.
• The Book of Daniel is written so as to deliberately recall the Joseph narratives in Bereishit.
• Scribes were considered to hold a high-level job, requiring knowledge of many languages and forms of writing, including cuneiform.
• Kashrut is an issue; but is the primary problem Kashrut or idol worship?  How far is Daniel willing to go to avoid eating from the king's pat-bag and drinking his wine?

General Knowledge:

• Eretz Shinar (Sumeria)

• Saris

• Pat-bag

• Cuneiform

The Joseph/Daniel Connection

The following are the thematic similarities between the Joseph narrative in Bereishit 39ff and the Book of Daniel.  These include:

• being brought against one’s will into exile;

• moving up the ranks of power, finally achieving the rank of second in command (chapter 2, 5, and 6);

• recognition of God's hand in one’s success;

• the ability to interpret dreams; and

• taking, or being given, a foreign name.

Besides these thematic connections, there is an explicit textual connection.  Here is a sampling of several of these textual links.  It is probably not exhaustive.  It might be an interesting project to see how many parallels the students can identify.

The Esther/Daniel Connection

Our book also contains parallels with the Book of Esther, primarily thematic but some textual.  In some cases, Rabbinic aggadah heightens these connections.  One example is when the aggadah identifies the vessels used in Achashveirosh's party as taken from the Temple, which is how our book begins וַיִּתֵּן אֲדנָי בְּיָדוֹ אֶת-יְהוֹיָקִים מֶלֶךְ-יְהוּדָה וּמִקְצָת כְּלֵי בֵית-הָאֱלֹהִים וַיְבִיאֵם אֶרֶץ-שִׁנְעָר בֵּית אֱלֹהָיו וְאֶת-הַכֵּלִים הֵבִיא בֵּית אוֹצַר אֱלֹהָיו 

אסתר רבה (וילנא) פרשה ב
וכלים מכלים שונים, הביא כליו וכלי עילם ונמצאו שלו יפין משל עילם, הביא כליו וכלי בית המקדש ונמצאו נאים ויפין מכליו, למטרונה שהיתה לה שפחה יפה כל זמן שמבטת בשפחתה היו פניה משתנות, כך כל זמן שהיו כלי בית המקדש מביטין בכליו היו משתנין כליו ונעשין כעופרת, ר' תחליפא בר בר חנה אמר כלים שצורתן נשתנים לימים קלים, א"ר שמואל בר רב נחמן כלים מכלים למשתמשין בהם והם שונין בקלקלה, מי גרם לבלשצר שתתקעקע ביצתו מן העולם לא ע"י שנשתמש בכלי בית המקדש הה"ד (דניאל ה') בלשאצר אמר בטעם חמרא להיתיה למאני דהבא וכספא די הנפק נבוכדנצר וגו', מה כתיב ביה בליליא קטיל בלשאצר מלכא כשדאה.

Note also the affect of Yosef and Esther on their keepers:

Miracles or Science

Ibn Ezra brings up a good point.  Daniel and his three companions enjoyed good health, despite their diet; was this an obvious result of God's helping hand?  Or was their vegetarianism really just good healthy eating, apparently not well known in Babel at the time? 

א:טו וּמִקְצָת יָמִים עֲשָׂרָה נִרְאָה מַרְאֵיהֶם טוֹב וּבְרִיאֵי בָּשָׂר מִן-כָּל-הַיְלָדִים הָאֹכְלִים אֵת פַּת-בַּג הַמֶּלֶךְ

ראב"ע: ויאמר הגאון: זה היה נס גדול; ואין צורך! כי היו אוכלים אורז, הוא הנקרא בלשון ערבי 'ארוז', והוא נכבד מאד וערב מן החטה, ועושה דם טהור, והוא מאכל אנשי הודו ואין להם חטה, ונעשו ממנו תבשילין. וזה האורז ישגא מאד כאשר יבושל בחלב, והכלל - כי המעט ממנו משביע, והוא כבד במשקליו, וגרגריו דקין מאד, ואינן עגולין, ותולדתו חמה ולחה...והנה האורז והאפונים הם "זרעונים" (להלן,טז) ומבריאים את הבשר. ועוד, כי כל מאכל שהוא תאוה לנפש יותר יועיל ממאכל שאין הנפש אוהבת אותו אע"פ שיהיה חם ולח בתולדת החיים; והנה אלה היו אוכלין דבר שתתאוה נפשם, והיה מועיל להם.

Ibn Ezra cites the Gaon (הגאון), which is Rav Saadia Gaon.  The parshan in the Mikra'ot Gedolot listed as "Rav Saadia Gaon" (רס"ג) is not Rav Saadia Gaon.

What does it take to be a court scribe?

Apparently, besides intelligence, it takes a strong bladder.

א:ג-ד וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְאַשְׁפְּנַז רַב סָרִיסָיו לְהָבִיא מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמִזֶּרַע הַמְּלוּכָה וּמִן-הַפַּרְתְּמִים: יְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר אֵין-בָּהֶם כָּל-מוּם וְטוֹבֵי מַרְאֶה וּמַשְׂכִּלִים בְּכָל-חָכְמָה וְיֹדְעֵי דַעַת וּמְבִינֵי מַדָּע וַאֲשֶׁר כֹּחַ בָּהֶם לַעֲמֹד בְּהֵיכַל הַמֶּלֶךְ וּלְלַמְּדָם סֵפֶר וּלְשׁוֹן כַּשְׂדִּים:

רש"י על אתר: ואשר כח בהם - פירשו רבותינו זכרונם לברכה, שיהיו אונסין עצמן מן השחוק ומן השיחה ומן השינה מפני אימת מלכות, ושמעמידים עצמן כשנצרכים לנקביהם.

From an Obituary for President Hafez Assad, in the New York Times, Sunday, June 11, 2000

חכמה, בינה, דעת. 

All three elements are found in the requirements for the position of scribe:
 וּמַשְׂכִּלִים בְּכָל-חָכְמָה וְיֹדְעֵי דַעַת וּמְבִינֵי מַדָּע.  It is not clear, however, what all of these three things are.  Compare Ibn Ezra with other commentators.

Unit 4: Chapter 2a-Does Anyone Know Nebuchadnezzar's Dream?

Chapter Essentials

• Nebuchadnezzar does NOT REMEMBER what his dream was!  He's not a sadist in asking what he dreamed, although his unreasonable demand is nonetheless an indication of his despotism. 
   

• The advisors/magicians DO NOT UNDERSTAND AT FIRST that he does not remember the dream.
   

• Nebuchadnezzar seems to NOT UNDERSTAND that the advisors/magicians do not understand that he does not remember the dream; although it is possible that he just doesn’t care.  Either way, he accuses them of trying to "buy time,"  יָדַע אֲנָה דִּי עִדָּנָא אַנְתּוּן זָבְנִין.  In modern English, we would say that they were stalling; however, based on the context, it seems to mean that they were stalling so that the time-of-wrath could change to a time-of-ease, i.e., a time in which Nebuchadnezzar won't kill them for not being able to tell him what he dreamed.

• They try the old and tired "if you get rid of us, you won't find anyone better anyway" gambit.  This REALLY makes him angry. 
   

• Verse 16 seems to imply that Daniel appears before the king to buy some time:: ְדָנִיֵּאל עַל וּבְעָה מִן-מַלְכָּא דִּי זְמָן יִנְתִּן-לֵהּ וּפִשְׁרָא לְהַחֲוָיָה לְמַלְכָּא.  (Note that he is trying to buy some time in the true sense here, hence the word זמן rather than עדן.)  However, based on verse 25, it seems that Daniel is appearing before Nebuchadnezzar for the first time:: אֱדַיִן אַרְיוֹךְ בְּהִתְבְּהָלָה הַנְעֵל לְדָנִיֵּאל קֳדָם מַלְכָּא וְכֵן אֲמַר-לֵהּ דִּי-הַשְׁכַּחַת גְּבַר מִן-בְּנֵי גָלוּתָא דִּי יְהוּד דִּי פִשְׁרָא לְמַלְכָּא יְהוֹדַע:  Perhaps in verse 16, the Chief Executioner, Arioch, forwarded Daniel's request.

• Just like Joseph, Daniel takes no credit for interpreting the dream, and identifies God as the source of his ability. 

Enduring Understandings

• Aramaic was the Lingua Franca of the time.  Remember that the Chaldeans migrated from Aram into the southern reaches of Mesopotamia more than half a century before the events in the Book of Daniel take place.

• The death penalty was known euphemistically as "the word [that] went out from the king.”  Our  מִלְּתָה מִנִּי אַזְדָּא and כָּל-קֳבֵל דִּי חֲזֵיתוֹן דִּי אַזְדָּא מִנִּי מִלְּתָא matches Esther 1:19 אִם-עַל-הַמֶּלֶךְ טוֹב יֵצֵא דְבַר-מַלְכוּת מִלְּפָנָיו and 7:8הֲגַם לִכְבּוֹשׁ אֶת-הַמַּלְכָּה עִמִּי בַּבָּיִת הַדָּבָר יָצָא מִפִּי הַמֶּלֶךְ וּפְנֵי הָמָן חָפו.  The familiarity of the phrase indicates that it was in common use.

• Nebuchadnezzar was a tyrant, and somewhat unhinged. 

Unit 5: Chapter 2b-The Statue has Feet of Clay

In this unit, Daniel grasps a way to save his life and the life of his companions.  God reveals to him both what Nebuchadnezzar dreamed, and the meaning of this dream. 

The dream was about a multi-media statue that predicts four (or five) stages of power transfer.  Most commentators feel that the four parts of the statue represent empires, starting with Nebuchadnezzar representing the Babylonian Empire.  This would present a parallel to the four beasts of Chapter 7.  However, I believe that God was only showing Nebuchadnezzar his own "end of days," i.e., the fate of the Babylonian empire.  The four parts, therefore, represent four kings: Nebuchadnezzar, perhaps followed by Evil-Merodoch, Balthazar and Darius the Mede, who plays the part of the feet of clay.

Enduring understandings

• Once again, Daniel has the gift of winning people over with reason.  This time, it is the Chief Executioner, Arioch.
    

• The idea that God controls human political history, מְהַעְדֵּה מַלְכִין וּמְהָקֵים מַלְכִין, is an essential theme of the book.  The message to its Jewish audience is: God brought about the Babylonian Exile, and only God can end it. This is equally applicable to the exiles apparently caused by Persia, Greece, Rome, etc.
   

• The end of an empire can come without warning, in the place you expect it the least.
   

• A "Later Days" (בְּאַחֲרִית יוֹמַיָּא) prophecy indicates a conclusion to some designated time.  In Isaiah, there is an obvious Messianic/End of Days setting, although it's not clear that is always the case.  For instance, Jacob’s End of Days prophecies (הֵאָסְפוּ וְאַגִּידָה לָכֶם אֵת אֲשֶׁר-יִקְרָא אֶתְכֶם בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים) seem to predict the return to the Promised Land from the Egyptian exile, although perhaps it was meant to be Messianic.  As I mentioned above, I think that this prophecy only extends to the end of BABYLONIAN rule; however, most commentators disagree.

 General Knowledge:  (Click to show and hide details)

1. Many Aramaic words can be understood by employing the Aramaic/Hebrew Letter switch:

   1. תִנְיָנוּת=שנית, תְלִיתָאָה=שלישית, תְבִירָה=שבירה

   2. כִדְבָה=כזב, כִדְנָה=כזה, דְּחִיל=זחיל, דַהֲבָא=זהב, חֲדוֹהִי=חזהו, דְרָעוֹהִי=זרעיו

   3. גֲלִי(א)=גלה, מְהֵימַן=נאמן, הֵן=אִם

   4. לֶהֱוֵא=להיות, הֲוָת=היה, חֵיוַת=חיה

   5. פַרְזֶל=ברזל

   6. קַיִט=קיץ

   7. אַרְעָא=ארץ, אֲרַע=ארץ (במובן שפלות), מְרָעַע=מרצץ
      
       

2. Some important Aramaic words to memorize:

   1. בעה

   2. אזל

   3. בֵּאדַיִן=אז, אחרי כן

   4. עבד=עשה

   5. פשר

   6. יציב, קשט

   7. דת ((Persian

   8. קדם

   9. איתי=יש

   10. נפק

   11. קטל

   12. עדן

   13. יהב=נתן

   14. על=בא

   15. חזה

   16. שכח=מצא

   17. דִּי=של, אשר לְ
       
        

3. Many Aramaic words have the ה and נ which in Hebrew are either elided or assimilated as a Dagesh Chazak. 

   1. אַנְתּוּן=אתּם

   2. אִנְדַּע=אדּע

   3. תְהוֹדְעֻנַּנִי
       

4. The word  גָּזְרִין seems to mean exorcist, based on the Prayer of Nabonides, found among the Sea Scrolls.  See the circled word on line 4.

   1. 

What does the statue represent?

Things to Ponder

• Does Nebuchadnezzar become a monotheist at the end? עָנֵה מַלְכָּא לְדָנִיֵּאל וְאָמַר מִן-קְשֹׁט דִּי אֲלָהֲכוֹן הוּא אֱלָהּ אֱלָהִין וּמָרֵא מַלְכִין וְגָלֵה רָזִין דִּי יְכֵלְתָּ לְמִגְלֵא רָזָא דְנָה:

Unit 6: Chapter 3:1-30 - The Colossus

In Chapter 3, Nebuchadnezzar builds a colossus, and gathers his entire government and aristocracy to worship it.  Daniel himself is not in the story, but Daniel's three friends, Chananya, Mishael, and Azarya, are willing to sacrifice their lives rather than bow down to the colossus.   Nebuchadnezzar throws them into a furnace, but they are not burned (as opposed to the people Nebuchadnezzar commanded to super-heat the furnace, who died in the conflagration).  Nebuchadnezzar recognizes God as the only god who can redeem people physically from certain death.  He passes a law forbidding the slander of the Jewish God, and recognizes God’s greatness.  It is not clear why Daniel is absent from this story, in light of Nebuchadnezzar’s invitation to all the members of his government to attend.  

Enduring Understandings

• The Colossus may represent Nebuchadnezzar's god, Nebuchadnezzar himself, or both.  Note that the king's words are ambiguous when he says to Daniel's three friends: לֵאלָהַי לָא אִיתֵיכוֹן פָּלְחִין וּלְצֶלֶם דַּהֲבָא דִּי הֲקֵימֶת לָא סָגְדִין
   

• Nebuchadnezzar's building of the colossus, and his requirement that all bow down to it on pain of death, may be a reaction to Daniel's interpretation of his statue with the feet of clay.
   

• The anti-Semitism that shows up in this chapter may also be a result of the previous chapter; specifically, the advancement of the Jews into places of power in the government.
   

• This story, and the Midrash regarding Abraham’s survival of the fires of Nimrod and Ur Casdim, are clearly connected, with the Midrash based on our story.

General Knowledge

• Nebuchadnezzar's Colossus, standing 60 amot or 90 feet high, was not the largest colossus of its time.  The Colossus of Rhodes, built around 300 BCE, was over 100 feet high. 
   

• Mesopotamian cultures counted in base 60 (hence 60 seconds to the minute and 60 minutes in the hour), so the height of 60 amot is apt. The width of the statue, at 6 amot, is problematic.
   

•   The Aramaic expression for לשון הרע is וַאֲכַלוּ קַרְצֵיהוֹן, meaning "they ate the flesh of..." 

Avraham in Ur Casdim

Compare the Midrash of Avraham surviving the furnaces (Ur) of Nimrod with the story of Chananel, Misha'el, and Azaryah refusing to bow down to the colossus. In both cases, the trigger is a refusal to accept the national deity, and the challenge is to the God of Abraham’s ability to save His faithful from the fire.  In both cases, the faithful do not say that God WILL save them, only that God CAN, if he chooses. 

בראשית רבה (וילנא) פרשת נח פרשה לח
נסביה ומסריה לנמרוד, א"ל נסגוד לנורא, א"ל אברהם ונסגוד למיא דמטפין נורא, א"ל נמרוד נסגוד למיא, א"ל אם כן נסגוד לעננא דטעין מיא, א"ל נסגוד לעננא א"ל אם כן נסגוד לרוחא דמבדר עננא, א"ל נסגוד לרוחא א"ל ונסגוד לבר אינשא דסביל רוחא, א"ל מילין את משתעי אני איני משתחוה אלא לאור, הרי אני משליכך בתוכו, ויבא אלוה שאתה משתחוה לו ויצילך הימנו, הוה תמן הרן קאים פלוג, אמר מה נפשך אם נצח אברהם אנא אמר מן דאברהם אנא ואם נצח נמרוד אנא אמר דנמרוד אנא, כיון שירד אברהם לכבשן האש וניצול, אמרין ליה דמאן את, אמר להון מן אברהם אנא, נטלוהו והשליכוהו לאור ונחמרו בני מעיו, ויצא ומת על פני תרח אביו, הה"ד (שם /בראשית/ יא) וימת הרן על פני תרח וגו'

דניאל ג:טו-יז
וְהֵן לָא תִסְגְּדוּן בַּהּ-שַׁעֲתָא תִתְרְמוֹן לְגוֹא-אַתּוּן נוּרָא יָקִדְתָּא וּמַן-הוּא אֱלָהּ דִּי יְשֵׁיזְבִנְכוֹן מִן-יְדָי: עֲנוֹ שַׁדְרַךְ מֵישַׁךְ וַעֲבֵד נְגוֹ וְאָמְרִין לְמַלְכָּא נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר לָא-חַשְׁחִין אֲנַחְנָא עַל-דְּנָה פִּתְגָם לַהֲתָבוּתָךְ: הֵן אִיתַי אֱלָהַנָא דִּי-אֲנַחְנָא פָלְחִין יָכִל לְשֵׁיזָבוּתַנָא מִן-אַתּוּן נוּרָא יָקִדְתָּא וּמִן-יְדָךְ מַלְכָּא יְשֵׁיזִב:

Unit 7: Chapter 3:31 and Chapter 4 -Nebuchadnezzar's Madness

This unit takes the form of a letter, written by Nebuchadnezzar to his kingdom, recognizing God's supremacy.  The letter begins and ends with this assertion.

The flow of the story as related in the letter is as follows:

1. Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream that he needs to interpret.

2. No one could interpret the dream (at least he tells them the dream this time!), until he called on Daniel.

3. He related the dream to Daniel:

   1. A great tree provides sustenance and shelter to its animal population. 

   2. An angel orders the tree's destruction, though its roots remain, chained to the grasses.

   3. An angel orders that the remnants of the tree (transformed into a person) descend into an animalistic state for seven years, until the person recognizes God's authority.

4. Daniel was afraid to tell Nebuchadnezzar the meaning of the dream, but the king persuaded him to do so.  Daniel told him that the tree is Nebuchadnezzar himself, and that he will descend into madness until he recognizes God's majesty.

5. Nebuchadnezzar explains that 12 months after hearing Daniel’s interpretation, in a fit of ego over his works, he took credit for all he surveyed.  At that moment God made him mad, and exiled him from his throne. 

6. After a set time (probably the previously mentioned seven years), Nebuchadnezzar recognized God's majesty over the whole world, and Nebuchadnezzar returned to his throne.

Enduring Understandings

• While it may seem that flesh-and-blood kings are all-powerful in this world, and are solely responsible for the fate of their people, the kings rule only at the will of God, and only succeed if they recognize that their power is the direct result of the will of God. 

General Knowledge

• The concept of “chapters” in the Torah is of Christian origin, specifically developed by Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury.  They are not always accurate.  Jewish divisions are done with breaks in the text.  Here, the story begins with such a break in chapter 3, verse 31.  This is the correct beginning of the story, which continues on through the end of chapter 4.

Classroom Questions:

• Some metaphors are meant to be interpreted down to the last detail, and in some the details seem to be there only to serve as window dressing.  Which one is this?  How many images are left unresolved?

Unit 8: Chapter 5: Belshazzar's Feast

For all of Nebuchadnezzar's violent and vindictive nature, his intemperance did not extend to the decadence of wine and drink.  Not so Belshazzar (not to be confused with Daniel's Babylonian name Beltishazzar), the last Babylonian king, and the second-to-last king of the 70-year Babylonian empire.  Belshazzar’s devotion to all indulgences sensual leads him not only to the expected sins, but to the sin of contempt for the religion of others when, drunk, he calls for the vessels taken from the destroyed Temple for the use of the concubines and courtiers at the king's feast.  This act of contempt brings the writing on the wall, which predicts the doom of Belshazzar and the Babylonian kingdom.

Historicity

The following section is from Wikipedia on Belshazzar:

The Book of Daniel never mentioned Nabonides; however, based on other books of Tanach, the Kings of Babylon (from the biblical perspective) are:  Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach, Nabonidus, Belshazzar, and Darius the Mede.

Enduring Understandings

The Vessels of the Temple

The students should explore the similarities between Midrash regarding the party that Achashveirosh held, where the Temple's utensils were used, and this narrative which is the source for that Midrash.  Why do the Rabbis want to tie Megillat Esther to the Book of Daniel?

אסתר רבה (וילנא) פרשה ב
וכלים מכלים שונים, הביא כליו וכלי עילם ונמצאו שלו יפין משל עילם, הביא כליו וכלי בהמ"ק =בית המקדש= ונמצאו נאים ויפין מכליו, למטרונה שהיתה לה שפחה יפה כל זמן שמבטת בשפחתה היו פניה משתנות, כך כל זמן שהיו כלי בית המקדש מביטין בכליו היו משתנין כליו ונעשין כעופרת

Unit 9: Chapter 6: Daniel in the Pit of Lions