On this day, King Hezekiah, the greatest of all the Judeaen kings, fell seriously ill, and was informed by the Prophet Isaiah that he would die, for G-d was displeased with the fact that Hezekiah had never married.
Hezekiah had refused to get married because he had prophetically foreseen that his children would lead the Jewish people to sin. He erred, for it is man's job to heed the commandment of procreating, and the rest is in the hands of G-d.
Hezekiah asked the prophet to pray on his behalf, but he refused, insisting that the Heavenly decree was final. The king asked the prophet to leave, saying that he had a tradition from his ancestors that one should never despair, even if a sharp sword is drawn across one's throat. The king prayed to G-d, and his prayer was accepted. G-d sent Isaiah to tell him that he would recover and that his life would be extended for fifteen years. Hezekiah recovered three days later, on the first day of Passover.
The King later married Prophet Isaiah's daughter.
Links:
Hezekiah's Last Years of Reign
The story in Kings II with commentary
More about King Hezekiah
A year following the building of the second Temple in Jerusalem (see Jewish History for the 3rd of Adar) Ezra gathered many of the Jews who had remained in Babylon and began a journey to the land of Israel. Though he certainly wanted to go earlier, his teacher, Baruch ben Neriah was too frail to travel, and Ezra refused to leave him until his passing.
Ezra was the head of the Sanhedrin, who all traveled together with him.
On the 12th of Nissan, Ezra departed from the river of Ahava, the beginning of the long journey to the land of Israel which would last for nearly five months (see Jewish history for the 1st of Av).
In today's "Nasi" reading (see "Nasi of the Day" in Nissan 1), we read of the gift bought by the nasi of the tribe of Naftali, Achira ben Enan, for the inauguration of the Mishkan.
Joseph’s brothers called him a dreamer. Jacob chided him for sharing his dreams, but took them seriously. Pharoah called Joseph, “One who knows a dream to interpret it.”
Jacob and Pharaoh were both closer to the truth. Joseph was not living in a dream. He was untangling it.
The dream is the world of human business, a mess of incongruent opposites in utter discord, seemingly void of meaning.
Joseph’s brothers retreated from the dream to the stillness of the pasture and the starry night sky. They scorned Joseph, who seemed obsessed with counting, managing, and organizing everything about him—whether in his father’s house, in Potiphar’s estate, in an Egyptian dungeon, or as viceroy of Egypt.
But in truth, Joseph stood beyond the dream.
So far beyond, he was able to envision all its disparate parts in harmony, as a patchwork of many colors in a single garment.
So far beyond, he did not need to run from the dream, because he knew it could not harm him.
So far beyond, he was capable of entering the confusion of the dream without losing his vision, rearranging its parts from within.
Today, we are all Joseph. We must rearrange the dream from within.
As you enter the dream each day, enter with divine purpose—to discover G‑d in all your ways and make this world His dwelling place.
Hold tight to the wisdom of the Torah you have learned, and to the mitzvahs you keep. They are your needle and thread to sew the many colors of humanity into a beautiful world.
Master the dream from within.