Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country said John F. Kennedy in 20/1/1961.

This famous quote is attached to Kennedy, but we can see the implementation of it can be found in the old ages, when a people was in problems with all the aspect a man can think about, economically, socially and security. The people is the people of Israel that came back from the exile from Babylon to Jerusalem in order to build the second temple, hoping that this action will help them to feel good and secure.

In the beginning of the book of Nehemiah we can see that their hopes came into a big disappointment, when a few of them are coming to Nehemiah, who was in a very high position in the Persian Empire, the chief butler!

But Nehemiah that saw that the situation of the people of Israel was so poor couldn’t stay in his job anymore as written in Nehemiah 1:3-4

“וַיֹּאמְרוּ, לִי–הַנִּשְׁאָרִים אֲשֶׁר-נִשְׁאֲרוּ מִן-הַשְּׁבִי שָׁם בַּמְּדִינָה, בְּרָעָה גְדֹלָה וּבְחֶרְפָּה; וְחוֹמַת יְרוּשָׁלִַם מְפֹרָצֶת, וּשְׁעָרֶיהָ נִצְּתוּ בָאֵשׁ. וַיְהִי כְּשָׁמְעִי אֶת-הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, יָשַׁבְתִּי וָאֶבְכֶּה, וָאֶתְאַבְּלָה, יָמִים; וָאֱהִי צָם וּמִתְפַּלֵּל, לִפְנֵי אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם.”

“And they said unto me: ‘The remnants that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach; the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.’And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven”

After that Nehemiah was praying to The Lord, he decided to do more, he went to the Persian king and asked him to give him time in order to help his people as written:

“וַיֹּאמֶר לִי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַשֵּׁגַל יוֹשֶׁבֶת אֶצְלוֹ, עַד-מָתַי יִהְיֶה מַהֲלָכְךָ–וּמָתַי תָּשׁוּב; וַיִּיטַב לִפְנֵי-הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׁלָחֵנִי, וָאֶתְּנָה לוֹ זְמָן”

“And the king said unto me, the queen also sitting by him: ‘For how long shall thy journey be? And when wilt thou return?’ So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. (Nehemiah 2:6)

In the next 12 years Nehemiah is the savior, he rebuilt the city of Jerusalem, and he did a lot of economical steps in order to help the people…

To be continued….

Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

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