2nd Temple and Old City

Thursday, Kitat Arava went to the Old City to assist us in the learning of the second temple time period. We started in the Roman Cardo which was the heart of the city for the upper class. 

After walking thought the Roman Cardo we  went to the site of the Herodian Mansions. These mansions were home to the Upper Class or the צדוקים. Throughout this tour we examined their houses and the findings. Many items that were found led us to believe these people lived a very Jewish lifestyle like the multiple ritual baths that were found or מקווה. The מקוות were used in times of life or death, or before a visit to Bet Mikdash. 

In the Upper House we found things like kosher mosaic floors, and multiple מקוות. The kosher mosaic floors suggest that the people lived Jewishly while being influenced by the Romans. In the Middle House their were findings such as a sewage system, glass and stone utensils (which are kosher), more kosher mosaics, and a Menorah that shows that Cohanim lived there. In the third house or the House of Measurements there were findings like marble murals, a ballroom for entertaining, bath houses, and more utensils. The ballroom and the marble murals show the influences from the Romans. 

When we were finished with the Herodian Mansions we went on a lunch break which started normal but at the end there was a Bar Mitzvah going on in the streets and the father of the Bar Mitzvah stopped some Israeli soldiers and stared to bless them which I  thought was really amazing and definitely not something you would see in the states. 

After our lunch break we went to the Southern Wall Excavations- Davidson Center. While we were there we learned about the 3 holidays when a Jew should travel to Beit Mikdash which are פסח (passover), שבועות (shavout), and סוכות (sukkot). 

We also learned about the 4 steps to entering Bet Hamikdash. First was to have your half-shekel tax ready. Second was to buy your sacrifice. Third was to enter and clean yourself in a mikveh. Fourth was to go up the stairs to Bet Hamikdash.  

On one of the cornerstones that had fallen off the wall there is a very important inscription which reads ...לבית התקיעק להב

This inscription shows that the shofar was blown here to indicate when the beginning and ending of the chag was. 

What is your connection to the Western Wall and how does it make you feel?

What happens when Jews intermarry?

Here is an interesting article having to do with the vibrant discussion we had in class this morning. Please read the article and write a comment about it.
- What do you think about it?
- Please choose one interesting fact you learned from this research and discuss how it influences or strengthens your opinion!

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/11/12/what-happens-when-jews-intermarry/

Who wrote the Bible? Does it really matter?

Hi y'all! I had a great time getting to know each of you while we studied the Biblical Period together. I've hopped over to David's class for the Bayit Shani period and will return to Kitat Arava in the next episode of our Jewish History adventures :-)

I thought you might find it interesting to check out this article by an Orthodox rabbi about his feelings of the traditionalist view of how we received Torah.

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/who-wrote-the-bible-does-it-really-matter/

What do you think? Do you agree/disagree with him?

קהלת ומשלי

שלום כיתת ערבה!
Shalom Kitat Arava!

First of all, thank you for making my first teaching experience at EIE so great (for any parents who may be reading the blog, my name is Evan and I'm student teaching/observing this semester). Secondly, I'd like to continue the discussion a bit here about Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. The main point of the exercise was to expose you to these two powerful books of our תנ''ך, which are attributed to King Shlomo the Wise and inspire you to go exploring through the תנ''ך yourselves.

קהלת (Ecclesiastes) has inspired numerous works throughout the ages. Here are two songs based on its verses:

The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)

Dave Matthews Band - Tripping Billies
(this is based on Ecclesiastes 8.15 and also Isaiah 22.13)

My question is taken from the picture above. "There's nothing new under the sun or is there?" What do you think? The powerful words in קהלת א say that nothing new is going to happen and all is futile. Do you think these words hold true today?

City of David

 Yesterday we went to the City of David.  During that time, we read through many stories in both Samuel book one and two. These stories covered the beginning to the kings of Israel, to the crowning of King David, and we ended with David and Queen Bathsheba. Following the stories of all Jewish leaders, these kings were not perfect. Both King David and Saul had many flaws, and while we mostly went over just Saul's flaws, we went over one big thing that David did that didn't match with all of the other good things that he did. What were these flaws and how did they effect the kings and their bloodlines. (Listed in the Tanakh)

On the trip, we visited a few sites, including an archeological dig that was still ongoing, and a house which was believed to have been lived in by a scribe. We also crawled through an underground tunnel which was built during the time of King Hezekiah.  What other sites did we visit and what was the importance of those sites. 

All the sites we visited yesterday were places mentioned in the Tanakh, there is also evidence from other cultures about these places which gives us reasonable evidence. Throughout the Tanakh there are stories supported by other cultures writings, what other stories are there that are supported in this way?

Silwan from the roof of a building. Below the settlement is the Hezekiah water tunnel.

Sataf

Today we Took a hike through the hills near our own Tzova, Across the region known as Sataf by many Cultures and Generations. The word "Sataf" may refer to the practice of boring a hole into the dates That grow in the region, in order for them to ripen at the same time and save the farmers days of labor. As we walked across dusty hills and switchbacks, we could see hills like the one we stood on going on in every direction. It's an interesting break from American history, where every place we stand on has had different purposes in every era. A century ago my house was a field, but here in Judea, these hills have been used for the same purpose for thousands of years: terraced agriculture. Its premise is making flat spaces on an otherwise sloped area, such as a mountain or valley. Large rocks are moved to create vertical walls, and earth is cleared out to make small flatlands where trees, grains and vines can grow. Terrace farming is dependent on irrigated crops, relying on a high source of water That flows down the hill. Other crops relying on "Ba'al agriculture" (after the Canaanite god of rain, Ba'al) grow during the rainy winter season. If the rain did not come, pagans of the region would pray to Ba'al and often make sacrifices in an effort to appease him. Because Canaanites already had established civilizations on the flat plains, tending the hills became a necessity for survival in order to avoid conflict with strong armies (riding iron chariots). Many of the practices of terrace farming we borrowed from the other people of the hills, who we lived alongside with. This settling of the hills completes the top of the Jewish Triad, making this Eretz Yisrael.

The most interesting part of the walk for me was our foray into the water source. We climbed through a small doorway hewn out of the rock, walked along the passageway until we reached a large hollow, where the water flowed across the entire floor. We turned out the lights and sung hinei-matov to celebrate the occasion, before climbing back out. We suspect that there were several snakes writhing in the walls. 

Coming out of After the cave we made our way to a small clearing, where we Performed skits of the Book of Judges. The stories became progressively more gruesome with time, as our heroes became more occupied with pursuits of pleasure than of virtue. For instance, early in Judges, Deborah's only goal was to triumph over the Canaanites led by Sisera to free the Jewish people. Later, however, in the story of Samson, the same was more concerned with whoring and killing Gazites than being a poetic hero of virtue. As time progresses and the cycle of error, enslavement and salvation repeats, it spirals downward, every situation more dire than the last. This is evident in their respective after stories. Deborah is said to have lived after her story, while Samson dies in the temple of idol worshippers. Although the skit were not executed perfectly, they still illustrated well the importance of learning from our mistakes. As we repeat our history of error, the consequences of our actions become more violent.

I felt that the most interesting component of the walk was the story of the Jews living alongside idol worshippers and sometimes adopting their ways. Polytheism is very clearly prohibited in Judaism, but it still is possible to live alongside those whose practices we do not agree with. That being said, what is the most problematic aspect of polytheism and idolatry? And in modern times, how does this idea of ​​living alongside others reflect on the modern state of Israel, particularly between the Jews and Palestinians?

Seth in a Tree. Photo Credits to Max Lenett

Homework for Sunday - Matan Torah

Please read the following article and respond while answering the following questions:
1. In this article, Rabbi Michael Knopf asserts that the revelation at Sinai is continuous and involves all of the people of Israel. How do you interpret the tradition that says that we were all present at Sinai when we received the Torah?
2. Do you agree with the notion that this revelation is continuous? How does this relate to your personal life?
3. When the people of Israel received the Torah, they responded by saying: "נעשה ונשמע", We shall do and we shall hear (Shemot 24:7, don't believe the translation in your Tanach...). How do you interpret these words, and how are they relevant (or not) to you today? 
4. How do these ideas relate to our reading of the Torah as a source for studying the history of our people?

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/rabbis-round-table/what-is-shavuot-for-jews-who-question-whether-god-gave-the-torah-at-sinai-1.430010

Tel Gezer

Tel Gezer

This Monday, Kitat Arava had the opportunity to venture outside Kibbutz Tzuba and into the lives of people who lived around four thousand years ago. As we drove West, we experienced for ourselves some of the varied topography that makes Israel so unique. This topography, as well as Israel’s central placement in the fertile crescent, shaped the society and trading patterns that developed there throughout history.  

Canaanites were one of the peoples, dependent on alliances with larger rulers, that developed on Tel Gezer. Relatively speaking, the Canaanites had an advanced culture. They had all of the elements essential for survival in ancient times in surplus. This freed up members of their society to become thinkers, engineers, even hydrologists. Complex methods of water collection and defense utilized by the Canaanites demonstrated their technological capabilities. The casemate wall system of defense was an ingenious and versatile solution for a civilization that needed much more protection in times of war.

Despite all that the Canaanites had to offer in terms of ancient survival, Avraham did not choose to settle on or near Tel Gezer. It is easy to wonder, “why not?” One possible answer to this question is that Avraham was strove to create a society that was new and different from those that already existed. While it is true that he did not always succeed in his quest to set himself and his nation apart, the intention is there. Avraham chose not to settle on Tel Gezer, or on a settlement like it, because he did not want to partake of human sacrifice. Human sacrifice was part of the status quo at this time in history. We were able to see archaeological suggestions that this was the case ourselves. Near the monoliths where the Canaanites came to worship was a basin, built into the stone, presumably for catching the blood of those used for sacrificial purposes. While animals were likely sacrificed here as well, evidence of the sacrifice of human children was made clear through bones and small jars for human remains. Today, we propose that Avraham made the conscious decision to set himself a step apart from many other cultures by rejecting human sacrifice.

Tel Gezer was important as a settlement not only to the Canaanites, but to about twenty-five different cultures. Included in this group were the ancient Israelites; specifically those who lived in the time of King Solomon. Important archaeological evidence was found in Tel Gezer concerning the existence and values of the Jewish people in this geographical location. An astracon, or a piece of pottery etched with writing, was found from a time in which ordinary Israelites were reading and writing. Surprisingly, the astracon found did not seem to belong to someone highly ranked, but, rather, it was a simple agricultural calendar. This evidence of Jewish emphasis on learning and literacy was the most interesting archaeological finding at Tel Gezer.

Fourteen other tablets were found at Tel Gezer, with both Hebrew and Greek writing on them. What do you think they might have said, and what might they have revealed about the culture of the Jewish people at this time?