5
At the time of Herod king of Yehudah, there was a certain kohen by the name Zecharyah, who belonged to the Aviyah division. His isha was of the banot Aharon, name of Elisheva. [DIVREY HAYAMIM ALEF 24:10]
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And they were both tzaddikim before Hashem, walking a derech tamim in all the mitzvot and chukkim of the Torah of Adoneinu. [BERESHIS 6:9; DEVARIM 5:33; MELACHIM ALEF 9:4]
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But they had no ben, because Elisheva was barren, and they were both advanced in their yamim.
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And it came to pass in the performance of his avodas kodesh sherut as a kohen before Hashem in the appointed order of his division, [DIVREY HAYAMIM ALEF 24:19; DIVREY HAYAMIM BAIS 8:14]
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According to the minhag (custom) of the kehunah, Zecharyah was chosen by lot to enter the Beis Hamikdash and to offer ketoret (incense). [SHEMOT 30:7,8; DIVREY HAYAMIM ALEF 23:13; DIVREY HAYAMIM BAIS 29:11; TEHILLIM 141:2]
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And when the hour of the offering of the ketoret came, all the multitude were davening outside. [VAYIKRA 16:17]
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And there appeared to Zecharyah a malach Hashem, standing on the right side of the Mizbeach of ketoret. [SHEMOT 30:1-10]
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And, seeing the malach, Zecharyah was terrified, and pachad (fear) fell on him. [SHOFETIM 6:22,23; 13:22]
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But the malach said to him, Do not have pachad (fear), Zecharyah. Your tefillah (prayer) was heard and your isha, Elisheva, will bear a ben to you and you will call his shem Yochanan.
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And he will be a simcha to you and sasson (joy), and there will be sasson rav (great joy) at his huledet (birth).
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And he will be gadol before Hashem, and he will not drink yayin or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Ruach Hakodesh from the womb of his Em (mother), [BAMIDBAR 6:3; VAYIKRA 10:9; SHOFETIM 13:4; YIRMEYAH 1:5]
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And many of the Bnei Yisroel he will turn back in teshuva to Hashem Eloheihem.
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And he will go forth before Adonoi in the ruach (spirit) and koach (power) of Eliyahu HaNavi, VEHESHIV LEV AVOT AL BANIM (And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the children MALACHI 3:24 [4:6]) and those without mishmaat (obedience) he will turn to the chochmah of the tzaddikim to prepare for Adonoi an Am (People) having been made ready. [MALACHI 4:5,6]
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And Zecharyah said to the malach, Just how will I have daas that this is so? For I am old and my isha is advanced in her yamim (days). [BERESHIS 15:8; 17:17]
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And in reply, the malach said to Zecharyah, I am Gavriel, I stand before Hashem. And I was sent to speak to you and to announce these things to you. [DANIEL 8:16; 9:21]
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And hinei! You will be illem (mute) and not be able to speak, until the yom (day) when these things come to pass, because you did not have emunah in my dvarim (words), which will be fulfilled in their time. [SHEMOT 4:11; YECHEZKEL 3:26]
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And the people were expecting Zecharyah and they were bewildered at his delay in the Beis HaMikdash.
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And when he came out, he was illem (mute) and not able to speak to them, and they had daas that he had seen a chazon in the Heikhal. He kept motioning to them and he remained illem.
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And it came about as the yamim of his sherut (service in the Beis HaMikdash) as a kohen were fulfilled, he went to his bais (house).
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And after these yamim, Elisheva, his isha, became with child, and she kept herself in hitbodedut for chamesh chodashim, saying,
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Hashem has done this for me. In these yamim he looked with Chen vChesed (favor and mercy, loving kindness) on me to take away my reproach among Bnei Adam. [BERESHIS 30:23; YESHAYAH 4:1]
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Now in the chodesh shishi the malach Gavriel was sent from Hashem to a shtetl in the Galil called Natzeret,
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To a betulah (virgin) given in erusin (betrothal, engagement) to an ish from the Beis Dovid named Yosef [ben Dovid], and the shem of the almah was Miryam.
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And when the malach approached her, he said, Shalom, favored one! Hashem is with you!
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But she was greatly perplexed at the message, and kept pondering what sort of Shalom greeting this might be.
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And the malach said to her, Do not have pachad (fear), Miryam, for you have found chen before Hashem.
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And in your womb you will conceive and bear BEN [YESHAYAH 7:14] and you will call SHMO YEHOSHUA. [ZECHARYAH 6:11-12]
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He will be gadol (great) and will be called Ben HaElyon (Son of the Most High). Adonoi Elohim will give him the kisse Dovid Aviv,
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And he will rule over the Beis Yaakov Olam vaed, and his Malchut will never come to an end. [SHMUEL BAIS 7:16; TEHILLIM 89:3,4; YESHAYAH 9:7; YIRMEYAH 33:17; DANIEL 2:44; 7:14,27; MICHOH 4:7]
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But Miryam said to the malach, How will this be, vibahlt (since) I do not have daas of an ish?
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And in reply, the malach said to her, The Ruach Hakodesh will come upon you and the gevurah of HaElyon will overshadow you. Therefore, also, the one being born will be called HaKadosh (The Holy One), Ben HaElohim.
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And Elisheva your krovah also has conceived a ben in her old age, and this chodesh is hashishi (the sixth) for her who is called barren.
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For nothing will be impossible with Hashem.
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And Miryam said, Hinei! I am the shifcha of Hashem. May it be done to me according to your dvar. And the malach departed from her.
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And in those yamim, Miryam got up and traveled into the hill country with haste to a shtetl of Yehudah.
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And she entered into the bais of Zecharyah and gave Birkat Shalom greetings to Elisheva.
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And it came about, when Elisheva heard the Birkat Shalom of Miryam, the yeled leaped in Elisheva’s womb, and she was filled with the Ruach Hakodesh.
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And Elisheva cried out with a kol gadol (loud voice) and said, Brucha at miNashim (Blessed art thou among women), and baruch (blessed is) the pri (fruit) of your womb! [SHOFETIM 5:24]
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And why has this happened to me that the Em Adoni should come to me?
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For hinei! When the sound of your Birkat Shalom came into my ears, the yeled leaped with simcha in my womb.
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And ashrey is the one having had emunah that there will be a fulfillment to the things having been spoken to Miryam by Hashem.
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And Miryam said, My soul doth magnify Hashem [TEHILLIM 34:2,3]
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ALATZ LIBI BAHASHEM (My heart rejoices in Hashem SHMUEL ALEF 2:1) and my neshamah exalts in Hashem Yishi (G-d my savior, Moshi’a) CHABAKUK 3:18, [TEHILLIM 18:46; YESHAYAH 17:10; 61:10]
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For HASHEM VISHAFAL YIREH (TEHILLIM 138:6) looked upon the humble state of His shifcha (bond maid) for from now on kol hadorot ishruni (all generations will call me happy, BERESHIS 30:13) [TEHILLIM 138:6]
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For Shaddai (the Almighty) did gedolot for me and Kadosh is Shmo, [TEHILLIM 111:9]
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And the chesed of Hashem is DOR VDOR [TEHILLIM 100:5] to those with yirat Shomayim. [SHEMOT 20:6; TEHILLIM 103:17]
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Hashem has done niflaot (wonders) with his zeroa [arm, YESHAYAH 53:1]. He scattered those who in the machshavot (thoughts) of their levavot are the Gaayonim (the Haughty ones).
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He brought down shalitim (rulers) from their kisot (thrones) and lifted up the Anavim (Humble),
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The ones hungering, Hashem made full of tov, and the ashirim he sent away empty. [TEHILLIM 107:9]
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Hashem helped his servant Yisroel, in remembrance of his rachamim (mercy),
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Just as Hashem spoke to Avoteinu, to Avraham Avinu and his Zera ad Olam.
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And Miryam remained with Elisheva about shlosha chodashim, and then Miryam returned to her bais.
