Gevurot 28

1. And having been brought safely through, we then found out that the island is called Malta.

2. And the natives were showing not the ordinary kindness to us for, because of the geshem (rain) that had set in and because of the cold, they lit a hadlakah (bonfire).

3. And when Rav Sha’ul gathered some brushwood and placed the sticks on the hadlakah (bonfire), a nachash (serpent) from the heat came out and fastened onto Rav Sha’ul’s hand.

4. And when the natives saw it hanging from his hand, they were saying to one another, "Surely this man is a rotzeach (murderer); for though he was brought safely from the sea, Yashrus (Justice) did not allow him to live."

5. Then, having shaken off the nachash into the eish (fire), Rav Sha’ul suffered no ill effects. (Mk 16:18)

6. But the natives were expecting him to be about to swell up or suddenly to fall down. But they watched him expectantly for a long time, and when they observed nothing unusual happening to him, they changed their minds and were saying that he was a g-d.

7. Now in the area around that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, Publius by name, who welcomed us and gave us hachnosas orchim.

8. And it came about that the abba of Publius was bedfast, suffering fevers and dysentery. Rav Sha’ul approached him, and having davened, laid his hands on him and administered refuah shleimah to him.

9. And when this happened, also others on the island, the cholim, were approaching Rav Sha’ul and were receiving refuah shleimah.

10. The natives bestowed matanot rabbot on us and, while being put out to sea, they gave us the provisions for our needs. [TEHILLIM 15:4]

11. And after shloshah chodashim, we set sail in an oniyah, having spent the winter on the island. It was an Alexandrian oniyah marked by the insignia of the twin Achim.

12. And having put in at Syracuse, we stayed 3 days.

13. Then we weighed anchor and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day, a southwest wind sprang up and on the second day we came to Puteoli.

14. There we found Achim b’Moshiach and we were invited by them to stay shivah yamim. And so we came to Rome.

15. And from there, the Achim b’Moshiach when they heard of us, came out to meet us, even as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns. On seeing them, ometz lev came to Rav Sha’ul and he said a bracha, davening hodah to Hashem.

16. Now when we entered into Rome, Rav Sha’ul was permitted to live by himself in his own quarters with a chaiyal guarding him.

17. And it came about after shloshah yamim, that Rav Sha’ul called together the chashuve Yehudim. And when they had assembled, Rav Sha’ul was saying to them, "Anashim, Achim, though I had done nothing keneged (against, in opposition to) our Jewish people or to the minhagei Avoteinu of Orthodox Judaism, I was arrested in Yerushalayim and delivered over into the hands of the Romans,

18. "Who, having examined me, were desiring to release me, because I had done nothing worthy of the death penalty.

19. "But when the Yehudim spoke keneged (in opposition to, against) this, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, but only to defend myself, not to bring accusation against Am Yisroel, my people.

20. "On account of this reason, therefore, I summoned you, to see you and to speak with you, since it is for the sake of the tikvat Yisroel that I am wearing these prison sharsherot (chains)."

21. And they said to Rav Sha’ul, "We neither received iggrot about you from Yehudah nor have any of the Achim arrived and reported or spoke any lashon hora about you.

22. "But we desire to hear from you what you think, for lichora (apparently) with regard to this kat of Judaism, we have da’as that it is spoken keneged (against) everywhere."

23. And they set a day for him, and they came to him in his lodgings, and there were many of them. And Rav Sha’ul was making a midrash, bearing solemn edut about the Malchut Hashem, and persuading them about Yehoshua from both the Torah of Moshe Rabbenu and from the Nevi’im, from haboker to haerev.

24. And some Yehudim were being persuaded by the things being said, but others had no emunah (faith).

25. And so they disagreed with one another. And as they were leaving, Rav Sha’ul said a final dvar. "Rightly the Ruach Hakodesh spoke through Yeshayah HaNavi to your Avot,

26. "Saying, ‘Go to this people and say, In hearing SHIMU SHAMO’A V’AL TAVINU UR’U RA’O V’AL TEDA’U ("You will hear and yet by no means understand and seeing you will see and yet by no means perceive.")

27. HASHMEN LEV HAAM HAZEH V’AZNAV HAKHBED V’ENAV HASHA PEN YIREH V’EINAV UV’AZNAV YISHMA ULEVAVO YAVIN VASHA V’RAFA LO ("For the heart of this people has become dull and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes, and with their ears may hear and with their heart they may have binah and they may turn and I will heal them. [TEHILLIM 119:70; YESHAYAH 6:9,10; also YESHAYAH 53:5]

28. "Therefore, let it be known to you that to the GOYIM (TEHILLIM 67:2) this Yeshu’at Eloheinu of Hashem was sent, and they will listen."

29. [And when he had said these things, the Yehudim departed, and argued greatly among themselves.]

30. And he remained an entire two years in his own rented bais, and was welcoming all the ones coming to him,

31. Preaching the Malchut Hashem and saying shiurim concerning the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua with all openness and without hindrance.