A tale or two

Gentle Reader,

Here are two tales one true one a story can you tell the difference?

The Story of

 PANETTONE

Once, in a little village in the hills above Milan, there was a baker named Antonio and a very good baker he was too. He made bread for all the people in the village. Good coarse country bread that kept the villagers from going hungry when they worked in the fields, ploughing and tending the grapes.

Now the baker was a widower and he had one daughter a beautiful girl, but spoilt. Because her father was so very fond of her, he wouldn’t let her do any work. Not in the bakery or anywhere else. He wouldn’t even allow her to help with the housework. All poor Seraphina had to do each day was sit in her window and watch the world go by.

She spent most of her time looking out into the street and the market square - and eating sweets! So she wasn’t only spoilt and bored, if truth were told, she was getting sadly fat!

One day in November, not long before Christmas, there was great excitement as a group of young huntsmen rode into the village looking for something to eat and drink. As Seraphina leaned out of her window, her eyes met those of one of the young men and 'pouf!' it was love at first sight!

Luckily it was love at first sight for the young man as well and he gave her a big wink! He then sat down to talk to the old ladies who are always to be found in Italian village squares. He wanted to find out about the lovely lady in the window. They in their turn were eager to know who he was. Tt turned out the young man was called Angelo. He was the son of the Duke of Milan and a very important person. Between them, Angelo and the old ladies hatched a plot so that Seraphina and Angelo could meet.

Angelo called for ink and paper and wrote two letters, one to Antonio and one to his daughter Seraphina. This is what they said. To Seraphina he wrote,

"Dear Seraphina, I love you. Soon we will meet and I will hold you in my arms".

To Antonio he wrote,

"Dear Antonio, I like your bread. Please meet me at the Market Square after Mass tomorrow. I have a plan that will make you rich and famous!"

He asked the old ladies to deliver the letters. Next day they all met and Angelo told Antonio of his plan to set him up in a bakery in Milan and for him to marry Seraphina. Both Seraphina and Antonio thought that this was a good idea and the next day they left for Milan.

Once in Milan, Antonio and Seraphina spent the day going round the bakeries of the great city. They tasted Torte, Pane and Biscotti and found them delicious. The biscuits were sweet and crisp and the bread soft and white, and scattered with wonderful seeds.

While they walked and nibbled at the bread, Antonio became more and more sad. At the end of the day he went to Angelo and said, "I cannot make bread here, my bread is good bread but it is bread for the workers in the hills. Your friends would not buy my bread". "Oh", said Seraphina, "if only you could make bread as sweet and rich as these dried fruits and candies". "Yes", said Angelo, "and as rich and sweet as this punch fortified with eggs and milk and honey". "THAT’S IT!" said Antonio, "I'll make a bread that tastes like all of these things!". And soon Seraphina and her father departed back to their village with wagonloads of the biggest eggs the sweetest honey and the plumpest raisins and fruit.

All the next day Antonio experimented and muttered to himself in his bakery and at the end of the afternoon, he put all the dough into bowls to rise overnight. The next day he filled every baking tray and tin in the bakery with the dough. There was still some dough left over so he put what was left into clean flowerpots and baked it in them.

Soon the whole village was filled with the delicious smell of baking bread. Antonio, Seraphina and the people of the village, plus Angelo (who had ridden up from Milan), could hardly wait for the bread to be cool enough to be cut and tasted. At last Antonio took his first bite and everyone waited with bated breath, "YES!" he shouted, and soon everyone was munching and laughing. And then Angelo loaded up the cart and took what was left back to Milan.

Everyone in the village waited and within the week, a cartload of new supplies came up from Angelo with a note, "My friends loved your bread and please can you make lots more? Also, make it all in flowerpot shapes because my friends liked that best. Bring it to Milan as soon as possible and Seraphina and I will be married the next day".

As soon as he could, Antonio with Seraphina set off for Milan with lots of the new bread. As they approached the gates of the city, Antonio could hear the bells ringing and he thought it was because it was Christmas Eve, but as he came nearer, he could hear cheers and the people calling "Toni, Tonio we love your bread, 'Pane', Panne, Panettone".

And that’s why the Italians always eat Panettone, 'Tony’s Bread', at Christmas and why the best Panettone comes from Milan.

A HEBREW SAGE MIGHT SAY. . .
In Him dwells the fullness of the GODHEAD BODILY.

THE STORY OF CHANUKKAH (Part 2)
Antiochus enacted a series of harsh decrees against the Jews. Jewish worship was forbidden; the SCROLLS OF THE LAW were confiscated and burned. Sabbath rest, circumcision and the dietary laws were prohibited under penalty of death. Even one of the respected elders of that generation, Rabbi Eliezer, a man of 90, was ordered by the servants of Antiochus to eat pork so that others would do the same. When he refused they suggested to him that he pick up the meat to his lips to appear to be eating. But Rabbi Eliezer refused to do even that and was put to death.

There were thousands of others who likewise sacrificed their lives. The famous story of Hannah and her seven son’s courage happened at that time. They were arrested and compelled to eat swine’s flesh and thereby assent to the pagan sacrifice. One by one, when they refused to yield, they were tortured.

The First Son had his extremities cut off, was scalped, had his tongue cut out, and still refused to eat pig. Finally he was boiled alive.

The Second Son had the skin stripped from his head, and still refused to eat pig. He exclaimed to Antiochus, "In-human fiend, you may discharge us from this present life, but the KING OF THE WORLD will raise us up, since it is for HIS Laws that we die, to live again forever."

The Third Son held out his arms for dismemberment saying, "It was the GOD OF HEAVEN that gave me these limbs; for the sake of HIS Laws I disdain them; from HIM I hope to receive them again."

When the third son died, the Fourth Son was tortured. He cried, "Ours is the better choice, to meet death at men's hands, yet relying on ELOHIYM'S promise that we shall be raised up by HIM; whereas for you there can be no resurrection, no new life."

As they tortured the Fifth Son, he said, "Do not think that our race has been deserted by YEHOWAH. Only wait, and you shall see in your turn how HIS mighty power will torment you and your race."

The Sixth Son died with the words, "We are suffering like this through our own fault, having sinned against ELOHEY, but do not think you yourself will go unpunished for attempting to make war on YEHOWAH."

Finally the Seventh Son died with the following words: "Our brothers already, after enduring their brief pain, now drink of ever-flowing life, by virtue of YEHOWAH'S covenant, while you, by YEHOWAH'S judgment, will have to pay the just penalty for your arrogance. I too, like my brothers, surrender my body and life for the Laws of my ancestors, calling upon ELOHEY to show HIS kindness to our nation, and that soon."

Ultimately, the Mother was also put to death. All steadfastly refused deliverance in hope of the resurrection.

THE MACCABEES: In a little village 15 miles NW of Jerusalem, a priest named Mattathias and his 5 sons rebelled. Before his death, Mattityahu called his sons together and urged them to continue to fight in defense of GOD’S TORAH. He asked them to follow the counsel of their brother Shimon-the-Wise. In waging warfare, he said, their leader should be Yehuda-the-Strong. Yehuda was called "Maccabee" (means: Hammer), a word composed of the initial letters of the four Hebrew words "Mi Komocho Bo’eilim ha’Shem" - "Who is like unto You, O God."

Under the leadership of the oldest son, Judah Maccabee, they launched a guerrilla-style war against Antiochus Epiphanies and his army. Its purpose was to force the Syrians out of Israel and restore worship to YEHOWAH. Mattathias killed all the traitors and then killed the Syrian commissioners. After a 3 year struggle, the Jews drove the Syrian army out of the Promised Land. Their rallying cry from Matthias was "Let everyone who has a fervor for the Law take his stand on the Covenant and come out and follow me. Let us fight unto death in defense of our souls and our Temple!" [1 Maccabees 2. 27 – 28] In other words, "return and obey the voice of the LORD your GOD, and do all HIS commandments. For the LORD your GOD is a COMPASSIONATE GOD; HE will not fail you nor will HE let you perish; HE will not forget the covenant which HE made on oath with your fathers." [Deuteronomy (Devarim) 4. 29 - 31 Tanakh, Torah]

Exactly 3 years to the very date after the Temple was desecrated, the 24th of Kislev, the triumphant Jews made their entrance into the TEMPLE OF GOD and re-dedicated it to the service of YEHOWAH ELOHEY.

In the LORD’S TEMPLE, the priests were to leave a light burning in obedience to the command of GOD MOST HIGH, "Command the children of Israel to bring you pure beaten olive oil for the light, to cause the lamp TO BURN CONTINUALLY. In the Tabernacle of Meeting, outside the veil, which is before the Ark OF THE Covenant, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before YEHOWAH. It shall be a decree forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel throughout the ages." [Exodus (Shemot) 27. 20 - 21 Tanakh, Torah] When the Maccabees prepared to rekindle the Menorah to re-dedicate the Temple of ELOHEY which had been spoiled by the enemy, they discovered only one single jar of olive oil buried beneath the ruins with the seal of the High Priest still intact on its lid. This was tragic because the Jewish people could not carry out YEHOWAH's command as there was only enough oil to burn one day.

For olive oil to be dedicated for use in the Lamp, it was to be made by the High Priest and sealed with his seal after being sanctified (set apart) for 7-days; then on the 8th day it was "HOLY TO THE LORD." [Exodus/Shemot 29. 37; Leviticus/Vayikra 12. 3; Ezekiel/Yehezke-El 43. 26 – 27; 2 Chronicles/Dibre Hayamin Bet 29. 17] According to the Jewish tradition, "nes gadol haya shem" ("A Great Miracle Happened THERE") . . .the small flask of oil lasted for a full EIGHT DAYS! {In Jerusalem, they say: "nes gadol haya po" - - "A Great Miracle Happened HERE (Jerusalem)."}

 

Sha'alu (Pray) for the Shalom (Peace) of Jerusalem and all of the World  !
Happy Chanukkah! The Second Light is the LIGHT of Torah. Israel's Book of Law has brought learning and truth to all of the world.
"Have a Joyous Christ-filled Day! With warmest thoughts and heartfelt thanks for all you've done and all you've given to us. May the GREAT GOD OF ISRAEL bless you as you bless others and serve our WONDERFUL LORD every day.

To be continued...