Greece

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1. The First Dream

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   According to the conventional interpretation by the Sages, the Four Kingdoms refer to Babylon, Persia/Medes, Greece, and Rome. Later interpretations extend Rome into Christianity, while others combine Rome with Greece, allowing the fourth kingdom to be Yishma’el - Islam. These interpretations assume that the prophecy ends with a Jewish kingdom in the end of the days and therefore must span throughout human history. An alternative interpretation suggests that the four kingdoms are Babylon, Persia/Medes, Alexander the Great, and the Diadochi kingdom which comprises the Ptolemy and the Selucids, and the dream extends itself to the kingdom of the Hashmona’im. Many prophecies deviate from their initial intentions due to man’s deviation from God’s path, and are destined to be fulfilled in the future.

2. The Vision of the Four Beasts

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   The Sages and many commentators are in agreement that the four beasts in Daniel’s dream parallel the four kingdoms described in Nevukhadnetzar’s dream. An alternative interpretation suggest that that the first three beasts are parables for Nevukhadnetzar - the lion, his son Evil Merodakh - the bear, and his son Belshatzar – the final king of Babylon - represented by the leopard. The fourth beast represents the kingdom of Persia and the ten horns of the beast represent the ten successive rulers of Persia. The new horn that sprouts and uproots the existing one represents Alexander the Great and the Greek Empire.

3. The He-Goat

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   In contrast with the beasts of prey seen in Daniel’s previous dream, Daniel sees a ram and a he-goat. In contrast with the previous dream, the nations represented by the animals are mentioned explicitly: the ram represents Persia, which possesses great forces and quantities of weapons, and the he-goat represents Macedonia-Greece which possesses speed and flexibility to adapt itself to any situation. Daniel sees that 2300 years is the time of the final redemption, and various interpretations exists as to when that time will arrive. An alternative interpretation suggests that the number 2300 corresponds with the number of daily offerings which were not sacrificed during the Greek occupation of the Beit HaMikdash until the successful rebellion of the Hashmonaim.

4. The Final Vision (Part 2)

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   The revelation of God or an angel leaves an impact both on those viewing the revelation and those in the vicinity of the revelation. The angel prophesied four Persian kings – five including Koresh – until the fall of the empire to Alexander the Great and the Greeks. Various attempts are made to reconcile this prophecy with the Sages, who talk of three Persian kings, and with conventional historical research, which talks of ten. The vision Daniel sees describes in minute detail and with great accuracy, the history of Greek rule in Eretz Yisrael. After Alexander the Great, the split of his kingdom into Ptolemy in the south and Seleucus in the North leads to many battles in Eretz Yisrael and ultimately to an internal rift and a spiritual struggle within the Jewish Nation.

5. The Final Vision (Part 3)

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   The Greek empire - the mixed clay and iron feet in Nevukhadnetzar’s dream and the main focus of Daniel’s visions - was the first empire to wage an all-out war against observance of the Torah and its commandments. There was a need for a detailed, precise vision to last for many generations to provide the spiritual support needed to withstand the Greek decrees. Daniel and his companions were men who preceded their time, establishing the principle of giving up one's life for sanctification of God's Name by observing and upholding the covenant of the Torah and its commandments. Daniel’s vision determines that the struggle for Jewish independence will depend upon the successful struggle for observance of the Torah.