Masada

On Thursday morning we got up at 4:00 am to hike Masada.  We started the hike needing flashlights because the sun had not yet risen.

(the view early in the morning at the start of Masada)  

We started the hike exhausted due to a lack of sleep and motivation in our lives.  We then went on to climb the mountain, it was a difficult hike not only because we were tired but also because we had stay vigilant for rocks and other hazards.  Once we got to the top of Masada we had time to take pictures of the gorgeous view.  This is one such view.  

After taking pictures we moved onto our morning t’filah which was even more powerful than usual because of the gorgeous scenery surrounding us.  After the t’filah we started our lesson, we learned about King Herod and how he built up Masada before it was taken by the Zealots.  We also learned about the Roman siege of Masada and how when the romans finally got to the top of Masada and had taken it over, all of the Jews were said to have commited suicide rather than be taken slave by the Romans.  

My question is why did the Jews find it so important to not be taken as slaves by the Romans?

Israel Museum Tiyul - Max Young

          I know this is a little late, but hey, better late than never. Last week we took a trip to the famous Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Not only do we see breathtaking beauty in the many exhibits and statues, but we can learn so much from them. From taking a second to look at the sky, hear the birds, and breathe, to seeing actual and replicas of the original Dead Sea scrolls. One of my personal favorites was the room with the open roof, and looked much like a painting (as you see on the right). Sadly, my assignment is to talk about the Jews in the Roman period instead of how amazing the Israel Museum was aside from the education. So, I guess I have to dive into that.

The Jews in the Roman period were a diverse group to say the least, and much like today they ranged on a wide spectrum of their Judaism. Some believing that it was more important than all else to retain Judaism and all of its traditions, and others thought that maybe a little bit of assimilation wasn't all that bad. This resulted in a lot of dilemmas that coming up for the Jews. On one hand, the Romans were treating them fairly well, and it wouldn't be smart to taint that relationship considering they ran the place. But on the other hand, that might mean having to leave behind some Jewish traditions and laws to maintain a healthy relationship with them. Like in class, we were given a dilemma of what to do when invited to a party by an authority figure on Shabbat. It would be rude to say no, but it's the Sabbath and there would definitely be non-Kosher food there. Even though that is just an example in class, there were most likely situations just like it. So, some Jews kept their culture, and didn't assimilate with the Romans. Others, said to heck with Judaism, I want a good life here. This resulted in the creation of four major sects in Judea at the time. 

But before we get to that, what about Jerusalem itself? The actual city of the Jewish people. The most important site to our religion. Surely that stayed Jewish right? Kinda. Plenty of buildings were influenced by Roman architecture. Even at the temple, we can see columns (which are Roman). In the surrounding area of Judea, many houses are based off of Roman architecture, and the more Roman they are, the bigger they get. From this model we can see what the old city looked like during the Roman period (basically). Every time there is a new discovery about a building in the time period, it's added to the model. While it isn't an exact replica of the actual city, it is the closest thing that there is to what the old city looked like. 

      Back to the four sects formed during this period, the Pharisees, Essenes, Sadducees, and Zealots. The Pharisees being the lower-class rabbis that didn't like the Romans. The Essenes being those who moved out near the Dead Sea in waiting of the messiah and were obsessed with cleanliness. The Sadducees being the priests who only believed in the written law of the Torah, and were friends with the Romans. Finally the Zealots were the extreme Jews who hated Roman rule and would kill them and any Jew who wasn't with them. As you can see, the groups have a wide range of Jewishness and beliefs. Much like today, with all the different sects of Judaism. Personally, I'm not sure which sect I would identify with the most, considering that all of them have some extreme flaws. I guess I would have to go with the Pharisees because I wouldn't like Roman rule, but I wouldn't cause a war amongst the people. 

The question that I want to leave with you is, which sect of Judaism in this time do you identify with the most? What relations to your life do you see in that sect?

Old city tiyul

Old city tiyul

            Today we visited the old city. We walked up the steps to the temple that the ole regel, the pilgrams, would climb up on Shavuot, Sukkot and Peasach. To be granted entry they would first have to purify themselves. They did this by bathing in mikves. These were essentially bath houses that were assimilated in from Roman culture that were believed to ritually purify you after bathing in one. Then, they would pay a half shekel (which was a good sum of money back in the day) to get in. Finally, they would sacrifice whatever they could, for example: pregnant women or women who were about to go into labor would sacrifice two doves. Because this was such a large proccess to simply enter the temple we can assume what a holy sight it truly was. If people went through so much effort just to get in the temple must have meant a lot to the jewish people

                  Today, the temple is still one of the holiest sights in the jewish religion. People go and pray everyday and everynight. 

                  We also had a chance to look at the homes of many wealthy Jews from the time period. We walked through the remains of homes that belonged to the Sadducees. The Sadducees, or Tzdokim, they were the upperclass who alligned with the Romans. They were in charge of the temple and running ritual sacrifices however, they don't accept oral law they only interpret the torah. In the remains of these houses we found many things. We found ostricans, mosaics and most importantly baths. Baths were an important find because we were able to figure out their class. Only rich people could afford to have mikvas in their home. We also realized that most of the homes external archtecture was Roman. 

I think that seeing these houses from thousands of years ago was amazing. It  was so cool that many things were able to stay intact over that long period of time. So after this great trip, I pose this question: If you were a pilgram coming to Jerusalem would you have gone through all of this to see and pray at the temple? 

Women of the Wall - Hannah Cohen

Women of the Wall
Saturday, February 16 we got up bright and early to participate in Women of the Wall. Women of the Wall is a feminist organization based in Israel whose goal is to secure the rights of women to pray at the Kotel. The mission is to attain social recognition of the right, as women, to wear prayer shawls, pray, and read from the Torah, at the Western Wall. Women of the Wall takes place at the Kotel on Rosh Hodesh, the first day of each Hebrew month.

"The barrier"

When we arrived at the Kotel we were surrounded by a huge crowd of people. The morning began while waiting in a long security line. During this security line was when we had our first encounter with the other side. Not everyone at the Kotel was a supporter of Women of the Wall. As we were waiting in the security line an orthodix Jewish women appraoched us. As I recall, this women told us that we were ruining Judiasm and causing hatred. Orthdox Jews are against the Women of the Wall movement becuase they do not believe that women should pray at the Kotel 

Once we made it past security, all the girls went down to the Kotel while all the boys observed from above. The first thing I noticed was a barrier. The women side of the wall was divided, supporters of Women of the Wall in the center and nonsupporters on the right side. The supporters of Women of the Wall consist mostly of secular Jews, while the nonsupporters consist of orthodox Jews.

The Torah service led by the Women of  The Wall 

The Women of the Wall lead us in a moving Torah service. It was amazing to see all these women coming together to pray. During the service the orthodox Jews, many were young children, would whistle at us to show their lack of support towards women praying at the Kotel. It was very interesting to see the variety of view points from the different branches of Judiasm. The service ended with the very festive Mishe chant. 

All the women coming together to pray 

Taking part in Women of the Wall was an amazing experince. We got too stand up for womens rights and witneess the coming together of Jewish Women. The fight for equality at the Kotel is an ungoing battle between secular Jews and orthodox Jews.

I am going to leave you all with a question.....
Why do you think the Wall is divided between men and women? Do you think this is right, and what is a solution to fix the lack of equality among men and women?

Continuing the Intermarriage Discussion

Shalom כיתת קשת Kitat Keshet!

Thank you for your insightful and thoughtful class discussion this morning. To continue the conversation, please share your thoughts about the following readings (also handed out in class)

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, Outreach to interfaith families strengthens the Jewish future:

http://www.jta.org/2014/02/03/news-opinion/opinion/op-ed-outreach-to-interfaith-families-strengthens-the-jewish-future

A Jewish Father's Plea: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/A-Jewish-fathers-plea

Also, how do you see עם ישראל (the Jewish People) sustaining our identity as Jews living in the diaspora?

Your response should be a minimum of three sentences.

Jerusalem - Eli Sporn

Jerusalem Tiyul
Photos courtesy of Twiggy!

Yesterday, two days ago, or a few days ago if you’re really procrastinating on your homework, we visited the old city of Jerusalem, also known as Ir David. The city was made capital by King David, the second king of the Israelite, seven years into his reign. However, the first king Saul ruled at Hevron, the site of the Cave of Machpelah. Saul, a Benjaminite, became king as chosen by God through the prophet Samuel by the process of Mashiach. Mashiach is a process in which one becomes anointed, which in Hebrew literally means having oil poured over one’s head. Saul shows purpose for being leader through his skill in warfare, his ability to provide security, and his ability to unite the land of Judah and the land of Israel into the United Monarchy. However, Saul falls out of favor of the people through his disobedience to God and a lack of checks and balances through Samuel.

This places David in power, as he is the most popular choice for king. David showed strength and reason for kingship through his various military victories, including the defeat of Goliath (see photographic evidence to the left) and the capture of Jerusalem, and the approval of the descendants of Saul. David, however, also makes mistakes. David has a child with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, and covers it up by having Uriah killed. This causes Samuel to get mad and make David unable to construct the temple on Mount Moriah. The most important part of this story was the idea of t’shuvah, or repentance. David’s act of t’shuvah made him a good king, as he did not deny that he did the crime, but accepted the consequences of his actions. Both of these early kings are shown as great people, yet both are imperfect, which shows how the Tanach knows that we as people are not going to be perfect, thus making the people and events in the story relatable and realistic.

On our trek through Jerusalem, our first stop was one during which we acted out the battle between David and Goliath, during which Evan tormented a poor, lonely cat. At the spot, we could see the city of Jerusalem and parts of the original city built by David. The city was placed at a tall point above a large hill, which provided natural defenses for the people and it was located to the north of the tribe of Judah and the south of the tribe of Benjamin, making it a connector to many different locations. It also had access to groundwater springs, which provided drinking water for the residents of the city. Our last and main stop was this waterway. 

Some of us chose to wade through the waters of the underground wells developed by king Hezekiah to provide safety for the water during times of war while others traversed the original Canaanite wells including myself. The wet pathway was dug by two individuals who came from opposite sides of the well and converged, eventually meeting at a point. This is evident through an ostracon found within the well which describes the events that took place to dig the tunnels. Additionally, a rich man’s house was excavated near the waterway and it showed the lavish lifestyle of the time, complete with four whole rooms and a toilet. The name of the man, Achiel, could even be identified by seals called Buleis on jars. These seals could be cross referenced with the Tanach to determine the profession of this rich person and the time at which this person, as well as king David, lived, which was around 1000 BCE.

The first kings were generally mixed people. While Saul was a great first king, he also was a bit corrupt and disobeyed God, and David was an amazing king, yet he committed adultery and murder. Overall, were each king good or bad? Did they deserve to be king after their heinous acts or should they be allowed to continue their reign? Should they have been punished more harshly, more leniently, or was their punishment just?

Tiyul to Sataf!!! -Batya Salomon

Wednesday February 7, 2018 Kitat Keshet, along with the other classes, hiked to and around the ancient village of Sataf. 

We’ve been learning about the story of Exodus and how the Israelites had been walking for a long time to reach Israel. At Sataf, we got to see close to what the Israelites would have seen and how they adapted to their new environment.  People don’t often think about walking into the land of Israel for the first time as being so hard. Yes, they finally got to where they were going, and yes, they must have been glad, but they came into a totally new place and had to completely change their way of life. Imagine having to start your life over and relearn everything. How hard would that be? For the past forty years, they had been traveling nonstop and relying on food to be given to them by G-d in the form of manna. Suddenly, they had a place to stay and land to make their own food. Israel was called the land of milk and honey, so it couldn’t have been too hard, though, right? Definitely NOT right. 

A big problem was that the entire area is mountainous and, therefore, sloped and made of stone. They found a way around that, though, through the practice of terrace agriculture. They had to break through and clear away all the stone to form levels, like shelves. 

(←Terrace farming)

There were seven species of plants that grew really well in the land of Israel: dates, olives, figs, grapes, barley, wheat, and pomegranates. Even with these growing well, another main problem was water. They started following what others were doing, and they prayed to the Canaanite god of rain, Ba’al. That’s why this form of farming is called Ba’al agriculture. Although the name lasted, the practice didn’t, as praying to another god is against the ten commandments, and it angered G-d. They ended up with a really advanced irrigation system, digging down into the rock and making water caves which branched off into small streams that spread over the whole area. 

 (←One entrance to a water cave)

We got to go into one of the water caves as a class, and crawl through it. The inside of the cave was pretty basic, but the tunnel was tiled and honestly beautiful. It was a real bonding experience being thrown into a tiny space with each other and wading through water to get out. Another piece of technology we got to see was the wine press. It was really cool to see how they used to make wine with their feet or stones, and how they used the mosaic flooring to keep the wine from touching the ground. Overall, the trip was an eye-opener into the struggle the Israelites went through even after they made it to the land of Israel. 

 (←Wine press)

On that note, my question for all of you is...   Do you think that it would've been easier or turned out better for the Israelites if Moses was the one to lead them into Israel rather than Joshua?

Tel Gezer - By Josh May - February 4th 2018 - 19 Shevat 5778

כיתת קשת on our first טיול

On Sunday, February 19, 2018, We went on a "טיול" trip to Tel Gezer. Tel Gezer is known for being right in the middle of Israel and for its layered Archaeology. Many civilizations settled here. Over time this land would be conquered many times, leading civilizations to be stacked upon each other as groups moved in and out.

The Canaanite people who lived at Gezer were obviously technologically advanced for their time. A few of the things that came as a surprise were the water tunnel and the case 

mate wall. The people who inhabited Gezer knew that if they dug down towards the surface, they would eventually hit water. This massive tunnel was close to 40 meters deep. Not only was this tunnel capable of holding gallons upon gallons of water, it possessed stairs. The Canaanite people knew that they would eventually need to dig deeper to sustain a steady flow of water. These stairs would allow the workers and peasants to go down and dig with

Gates from the Solomon era

tools to keep the water supply at a safe height. Next there was a case mate wall. A case mate wall is a structure consisting of two layers that were very dense. Each layer consisted of multiple stones and were packed tight. Inside of these case mate walls were housing and markets. During times of warfare these walls would be filled with sand as a trap and defense. The idea that the people of this time knew that there were was to build such massive structures with such detailed purposes is amazing. The Canaanite people were obviously advanced and most likely succeed in the way the lived and survived.

Amazing Ostracon from Tel Gezer

There are two possible reasons for why Avraham did not visit Gezer. Avraham, being the father of monotheism, only beloved in one g-d. At what is believed to be the temple at Gezer, are multiple stones. These stones spaced apart and upright, seem to be a place that held shrines for multiple g-ds. Avraham, while embarking on his journeys may not have stopped at Gezer for this reason. The idea that people were praying to multiple g-ds was not an idea Avraham was going to be able to accept as he is imaged so close to G-d in the Torah. Another reason why Avraham may not have visited Gezer was for the there was of sacrifice. The people that inhabited Gezer were rumored to have practiced child sacrifice at some point in time. This idea of child sacrifice was most likely an uncomfortable topic for Avraham. This, however is quite ironic as Avraham is told by G-d in the Torah, to sacrifice is favorite son Yitzhak. Wether it was one or both of these reasons, Avraham never did visit Gezer.

Water Tunnel

There are some very interesting archaeological finds from the grounds of Gezer. First off there was a very interesting plaque with writing on it. This type of find known as as ostracon. An ostracon is an archeological find with writing or symbols engraved on it. A specific ostracon that was found at Gezer is believed to be a farming calendar. The symbols on the ostracon can be translated and identified due to the evolution of letters and characters. It is also believed that parts of this calendar may have been written by a child. This idea that a child wrote parts of the un-identifyable calendar is not far fetched. A huge core value of Judaism is education. This idea stems from Jews being "obligated" to study Torah. Teaching the young to write is a way to keep the tradition alive. Another archaeological find at Gezer was a set of gates. These gates were built during the era of King Solomon. These anachronistic gates were found out of place. Anachronistic, means the artifact or find was out of place or mixed in with finds from a different time period. These finds are two unique and significant archaeological finds from Gezer. 

I will leave you all with this question: If Avraham had stopped at Gezer during his travels, what would he have thought? Would this encounter changed the way Avraham saw monotheism? Would Avraham have established any new rituals to be practiced in Judaism for the next generations?