On Friday, the fifth day of the month, on the eve of the Sabbath, at twilight, the enemies, the enemies of God, came upon the pious ones in Xanten. The enemies came upon them at the hour when the Sabbath began.

They had just sat down to eat. They had sanctified the day with “And the heavens were completed,” and had recited the blessing “who brings forth” over the bread, when they heard the voice of the oppressors and the raging waters roaring over them. They ate only the small piece of bread from the hamotzi, and then the head of the company began and said:

“Son of Aaron the priest, you are worthy of greatness. But woe, woe for the irreplaceable loss! My lyre has been turned to mourning, and my flute to the sound of lament.”

Everyone who had heard his voice when he led the prayers said: “This voice is like flutes, drums and pipes.” His prayer rose to the throne of the Ever-Living One, who sits in the highest heavens, as a diadem for the Most High, the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

But the decree had been sealed. It was as though a bronze plate had risen between us and our Father in heaven. Our prayer was not heard, and we found no proper intercessor, not even one among thousands. Yet God brought this fate as a test for our generation, so that their devotion would be known everywhere, even to the servants on high.

So too King Solomon said: “Therefore the maidens love you,” which is interpreted: “unto death.” And it is also said: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are considered like sheep for slaughter.”

Then the pious man, the faithful man, the great priest among his brothers, began to speak to the community sitting with him at the table:

“Let us recite the blessing of thanksgiving over the meal before the eternal God, our Father in heaven. For in place of the former altar, the table has now been prepared for us as atonement.

“Let us rise and lift ourselves up to the dwelling of the Eternal. Let us quickly carry out the will of our Creator, for today the enemies will come upon us. Let each one slaughter his son, his daughter or his brother on the Sabbath, and by doing so acquire blessing for ourselves today.

“Let no one spare himself or his neighbor. Let the last one remaining cut his own throat with his knife or thrust his sword into his body, so that the impure hands of the wicked will not defile us with their abominations.

“Let us offer ourselves as sacrifices to the Eternal, like whole burnt offerings consecrated to the Most High upon the altar of God, so that we may come to that world which is entirely day, to Paradise, to the bright shining light and behold the Lord clearly in His glory and greatness.

“Then the head of each person will be adorned with a golden crown set with precious stones and pearls. There we shall sit among the pillars of the world and delight in the company of the righteous in Paradise, in the company of Rabbi Akiba and his companions, sitting on golden seats beneath the Tree of Life. Then each one of us will point to Him with his finger, as it is said: ‘Behold, this is our God, for whom we hoped. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.’

“There, then, we shall keep the Sabbaths. For here, in this dark world, we can no longer celebrate and observe them according to the commandment.”

They all answered him together, with one voice and one heart: “Amen. So may it be, and so may God’s will be done.”

Then the pious Rabbi Moshe began the blessing after the meal, for he was a priest of the Most High God. He began: “Let us bless our God, of whose food we have eaten,” and they answered him: “Blessed be He, our God,” and so forth.

He prayed: “May the Merciful One avenge, in the days of those who remain after us and before their eyes, the blood of His servants that has been shed and that will still be shed. May the Merciful One save us from wicked men, from persecution and idolatry, from the impurity of the nations and their abominations,” and many more sayings connected to the event, because of the decree that had struck them, as my ancestors and other elders told me, those who occupied themselves with this matter and saw that great deed.

When they rose from the table, the pious man said to them: “Sons of the living God, now say with a loud voice and with one accord: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Eternal is our God, the Eternal is one.’”

They did so.

“And now do not delay any longer, for the time to act has come, to offer our lives to Him as a sacrifice.”

On the Sabbath day, at twilight, they offered themselves before the Eternal in place of the daily evening offering, and they also considered themselves the morning offering in the Temple. As one rejoices when he finds spoil, as people rejoice at harvest, so they were glad and joyful to be able to dedicate themselves to the service of our God and to glorify His great and holy Name.

They all came gladly and joyfully before the exalted God. As it is said of the sun, “Like a bridegroom coming out of his wedding canopy, like a hero, it rejoices to run its course,” so they too ran joyfully to enter the innermost chamber of heaven, into Paradise. Concerning them the prophet prophesied: “No eye has seen it, O God, besides You, what He has prepared for those who trust in Him.”

There was also a perfect man there, Rabbi Natronai bar Isaac. The clerics who knew him had already been coming to him every day, trying to persuade him to convert to their faith, for he was a handsome and educated young man. But he rejected the hateful demand and said:

“Far be it from me to deny my God on high. In Him I trust until the end of my life.”

He slaughtered his brother and then himself, declaring the unity of the one holy Name.

There was also there a servant of God, a true proselyte. He asked the great priest Rabbi Moshe and said:

“My master, if I slaughter myself for the glorification of the one great Name, what will become of me?”

He answered:

“You will dwell with us in our camp, for you are a true confessor of God. You will dwell in the company of the other pious confessors of God with our father Abraham, who was the first of those who confessed God.”

When the pious man heard this, he immediately took the knife and slaughtered himself. His soul is now joined to the bond of the blessed in the light of the Eternal in Paradise.

In this self-offering, no one remained, except for a few who were wounded among the dead and rolled in their blood. For when the enemies stormed the tower before all had been slaughtered, these people fled away from among the dead during the night.

Blessed be God that they were all able to be brought to burial.

May their merit, and the merit of all the others who were slaughtered, stabbed, strangled, burned, drowned, stoned or buried alive, and who endured these seven kinds of death, corresponding to the seven days of the week, out of love and devotion to their holy and pure faith, stand for us as a true intercession before the Most High God. May He soon, in our days, redeem us from the Edomite exile, rebuild the walls of Ariel and gather again the scattered ones of Judah and Israel, who have been scattered as with a shovel through all the gates of the world, the remaining remnant left for captivity and plunder, distress and anguish, for the sake of His great, mighty and fearful Name that is called upon us.