Category Archives: Torah

Torah Portion: Vayetse – The Place of Jacob’s Ladder

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William Blake's painting of Jacob's Ladder

“Jacob went out of Beer Sheba and went towards Haran. He touched the Place and went to sleep for the sun was going down…”

(Genesis (Bereishit) 28:10 -11)

In this week’s Torah portion, when Jacob leaves his parents to escape from his brother’s wrath and find a wife there is a very bizarre episode. He arrived at some un-named place which the hebrew text says he ‘touched’, he then went to sleep and had a fantastical dream where God appears to him promising him saftey and he sees Angels ascending and descending on a ladder to heaven. If this was n’t bizarre enough Rashi the 10th century scholar’s explanation of the text is even more wondrous.

Which Place?

Rashi locates the place as Mount Moriah, the place where Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac and where the Temple of Solomon was built. This fits in  thematically  as the Binding of Isaac concerned God’s protection of Abraham and his progeny and the Temple of Solomon was a conduit to heaven as symbolised by the dream.

Hang on, does n’t Jacob Give the place a name?

When Jacob woke up from his dream he says:

‘this is the House of God (or Beit El) and this is the gate of heaven”

(Genesis 28 : 17)

He calls it Beit El, not Mount Moriah, and as we can see on this map, they are at two entirely different places.

The position of Beit El in comparison to Jerusalem

Rashi and ‘Warpspace’

There are many explanations, some say Beit El is just meant figuratively, the ‘House of God’ means the Temple, not a place called ‘Beit El’ (not likely as the scripture goes to some lengths to tell us its former name; Luz).  Possibly it refers to the position of the temporary Temple that existed before the Temple of Solomon or the Tabernacle. This was placed for a long period in Shiloh, just North of Beit El. My favourite explanation is Rashi’s, that the land (and some Rashi scholars say the fabric of the Universe itself) folded or ‘warped’ so that Jerusalem was the same place as Beit El.

The Place

In any case in hebrew the word place; ‘HaMakom’ is one of the names of God and reminds us that in every place, no matter how far we may feel we are from God, God is there.

Torah Portion: Chayei Sarah: the Caves of the Patriarchs

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The Cave of Machpelah, burial site of the Patriarchs at Night

“Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham in the Cave of Machpelah in the Field of Ephron the Hittite” (Genesis: 25:9)

This appearance of both Isaac and Ishmael at the funeral of Abraham is seen expressive of a situation where both Isaac and Ishmael were living in peace with one another. It is interesting to note that after burying Abraham in the place where Abraham buried his wife Sarah, Isaac then goes and lives in ‘Be’er Lehai Ro’i’ (The Well where Ishmael was saved by an angel). Seemingly Isaac actually dwelt with his brother and they operated with as a family unit (possibly including Hagar).

If one were to visit the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, commonly identified as Machpelah. One would also see Jews and Muslims (traditionally thought of as the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael respectively) sharing the same building for prayer.

Torah Portion: Vayera ‘The Terebinths of Mamre’

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“God appeared to Abraham at the Terebinths of Mamre“

(Genesis 18:23)

What’s a Terebinth?

The word in Hebrew here is ‘Alon’ which refers to Oak rather than Terebinth, which is a different kind of tree. The Picture above is of a ‘Quercus Calliprinos’ or ‘Palestine Oak’, which can be seen all over Israel.

 

Succot in the Sun

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My Succah

 On any tour of Jerusalem for the next week, the week of Succot / Tabernacles (for instance if you were to book a Chol HaMoed Tour here) you will see many interesting little booths topped with leaves or bamboo canes and decorated with streamers and pictures (such as the one above). This custom derives from a commandment in the Bible (Leviticus 23: 42 – 43) that the Israelites should live in booths (Succot) for seven days. There is a deeper Kabbalistic reason for the custom which is apparent when one asks the question, why also on Succot do Jews read Kohelet / Ecclesiates?

A Book Focused on the Sun

One of the first verses in Kohelet says:

‘The Sun rises and the Sun sets  – then to its place it is pulled and it shines again ‘ (Kohelet 1: 4)

In fact the book seems to have a pre – occupation with the Sun, it mentions the Sun many times.  The Sun is a representation of Din; divine law and propriety. It fits a set programme which does not later at all, commanded by God to do what it does and not alter a tiny bit. Compared to rain, which seems fickle (and is a representation of Chesed, loving kindness), the Sun is a fixed thing.

A Protection against Din / Judgement

A Succah is a protection against the Sun, it shields the dweller from the Sun’s harmful rays, any Succah that fails to do so is not Kosher. Succot is supposed to be a time where we are protected from harsh divine Judegment, from Din. There is a phrase in Jewish liturgy;

‘On Rosh Hashanah (New Year) we consider how Judgement is made, on Yom Kippur it is sealed’

A Further Chasidic idea suggests that the final judgment is served on the last day of Succot and all the time from Yom Kippur to this day the judgement is suspended so as to give the person who was sentenced time to appeal. We have just finnished being judged a week ago on Yom Kippur  being judged and the whole period of Succot is a period of being protected from Din, from harsh judgement.

The Succah is a representation of divine Chesed (loving kindness); protection against the harsh divine judgement made on Yom Kippur.

 

Dedicated to the health of Zlata bat Sima

To Learn more about Succot, join Yossi on a Chol HaMoed Tour

 

 

The Drama of Yom Kippur: When the Scapegoat arrives

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View of the Judean Desert from Mount Scopus

          From Friday night to Saturday night Jews all around the  world will be celebrating Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This is based on a commandment in the Bible, on the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tishrei to fast and atone for our sins. Many religious Jews will be reading descriptions of the ceremonies carried out for the day of atonement in the Temple in Jerusalem. One thing that has lessened in time, due to the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE is an understanding of the great drama that was played out every year in Jerusalem. A lot of the Drama would surround the High Priest, it was told that if he was not in favour with God, he would not leave the inner chamber of the Temple alive. Another part of this drama was focused on two goats. The High Priest was commanded two take two goats; one for God and one for ‘Azaze (a tall cliff). One goat was to be sacrificed to God, one goat was to have the sins of Israel placed upon it and thrown from a cliff into the Judean Desert. Once the Scapegoat, the goat of the sins of Israel had met its end in the Judean wilderness there would be great rejoicing, as this was a sign that the sins of Israel had been forgiven.

So How Did They Know when the Scapegoat had arrived in the Desert?

The question above, is not my own, it is in fact a question that appears in ancient collection of case law called the ‘Mishnah’ dating from between the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE (Mishnah: Yoma 6:8). The context of the question is that, the High Priest would be told immediately when the goat was in the desert. The chapter of Mishnah goes on to explain a system of runners and stations, where at each stage of the goats descent into the desert his progress would be reported.

Its Not that far

The one factor  that a person who has never been to Jerusalem could miss is that is not actually that far from Jerusalem to the Judean desert. As we can see in the picture above, the Judean desert can even be pictured from parts of Jerusalem (mount scopus is about a 40 minute climb from the Old City).

Spiritual Rise, Physical descent.

The other thing to notice is that the trip to the Judean desert is all down hill, its one big descent to the LOWEST PLACE ON EARTH. This physical descent is mirrored by the spiritual rise of the Jewish people, the removal of their sins. In fact their is Mishnaic saying that ‘There was no happier time in israel than Yom Kippur and the Fifteenth of Av’ (Mishnah Ta’anit 4:8). Yom Kippur is a happy day because the sins of the Jewish people are forgiven and this process brings the participants closer to God.

Dedicated to the health of Zlata bat Sima and a better year for humanity.

 

Rosh Hashanah : Significance of the Shofar

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Tonight and for the next two days Jews Celebrate the New Year or Rosh Hashanah.

It is customary to blow a rams horn, their are many reasons for this, one of the best is that it reminds us of the ram that Abraham slaughtered instead of sacrificing his son Isaac. This symbol of sacrifice is an important one for Judaism.

We know that it is likely that the ram spoken of was a male Ibex, like the Ibex pictured above.

Shanah Tova (Happy New Year)!

Dedicated to the recovery of Zlata bat Sima and Grandma Sheila

Torah Portion Ki Tavo – Where to stay ?

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This week’s Torah Reading describes an obligation for all Jew’s to the bring first fruits of their produce in the Land of Israel to the Temple at three times in the year.  The picture above is an artist’s impression of what one of the Gates to the Temple (Robinson’s arch) would have looked like. One can well imagine thousands of Jews crowding these steps waiting to present their first fruits. A good question to ask would be; if all the Jews in ancient Israel came here, where would they stay?

Visit the Davidson Centre

A guided tour in the Davidson Archeological Centre would answer this question. At the bottom of the park their are a series of excavations where the remains of massive structures were unearthed. It is thought that these massive structures dating back to the Herodian period were hostels for pilgrims.

Free Room and Board

In the light of certain aspects of Jewish law (See Tosefta Maaser Sheni 1:12) where renting rooms in Jerusalem was forbidden,  it seems possible that there was not only a Hostel for a large number of people, but it  was a a free hostel. There is a source where one Rabbi Elazar ben Zaddok even restricts the rental of linen or beds (see Ahron Horovitz’s book Jerusalem: Footsteps Through Time).

Come and See it for Yourself !

The Jews would come and present the first fruits every Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost) and Succot (Tabernacles). It is still a tradition to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem at these times of year. If you want to see some tour ideas click here !

To book your trip click here ! 

Torah Portion: What are the Tassles on the corners of my Clothes for ?

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“You Shall Make Tassles on the Corners of your garments” (Deuteronomy 22:12)

Twice this week I was asked by a traveller on one of my tours what the funny Tassels (one of which is pictured above) was for.

Its something that I forget when guiding is that some of the basic facts about Judaism are also interesting to someone visiting Israel for the first time.

The Commandment to Wear Tsitsit

Twice in the Bible (the source above and Numbers  / Bamidbar 15:37 -41) the Jewish people are commanded to put tassels on the corner of their garments. In the instance in the book of Badmidbar / Numbers the Jewish people are told to wear distinctive blue tassels made out of a die found in the blood of a certain snail. The Rabbis interpreted that this commandment was only applicable for men and only during the day.

What’s the Reason?

According to the section in Badmidbar / Numbers  the reason that Jews wear such tassels is to be constantly reminded about the commandments and not come to err.

Being a Moral Agent in one’s personal Deeds

The next verse is the start of a law concerning marital impropriety. The juxtaposition of these two concepts teaches that one could think that one wears Tsitsit in public so a person can be easily recognised as a religious Jew and then forced to behave in a proper manner due to social pressure. This time teaches that when only the individual himself can see his Tsitsit he is forced to act in a proper manner due to the  meaning he himself places  on these tassels.

 

 

Torah Portion: Shoftim – Cities of Refuge

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Cities of Refuge Courtesy of Agbad (Wikipedia user)

 “Three Cities you shall separate for yourselves in the Midst of your land…” (Deuteronomy / Devarim 19:2)

The Jewish People were commanded to create 3 ‘Cities of Refuge’ inside their land (another 3 were outside in the territory of Reuven, Gad and half the tribe of Menassah).

Function of the Cities of Refuge

The function of the Cities was that when a person was guilty of manslaughter (accidental negligent causing of death), he would flee retribution to one of these cities. Inside these cities he would be free from any attempt to mete out a corporal punishment upon him.

Their Location

Oral Tradition has it that their location was in the Cities of Hebron, Shechem (modern day Nablus) and Kedesh (up in the North of the country in what is now known as ‘The Pan Handle’. These were 3 major cities and all excavations done there show evidence of settlment going back as far or further than 1000 BCE.  All except for Kedesh are major cities to this day.

(This learning experience is dedicated to the swift recovery of Zlata Bat Sima.)