Tiyul to Ir David

by Anna Voskoboynik,       11^th grade,         Indianapolis

Walking through the beautiful streets of the City of David, we can only imagine how much history is under our feet. Today we got the amazing opportunity to visit an incredible place, Ir David. It’s just amazing that we are able to be in the location that we are actually acquiring knowledge from not just looking at pictures back at home in the States.

a view of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan from the look out point at Ir David

What are the accomplishments and failures of each of the Isarelite kings we learned about today?  In the Tanach, we learned that there are certain criteria for the kings:  not to have too many wives, horses, not to be a thief, and to carry around a Torah at all times. Shaul, the first king of the Israelite tribes, fit under all of these characteristics which is why God chose him to be a king. He was tall, handsome, and very charismatic. He was an amazing leader and he had the ability to win, but he was not good at following instructions. He took people’s belongings when he was conquering cities and he made an idol of himself. He angered God so he was dethroned. 

 

walking through part of the Jewish quarter of the old city on the way to Ir David

Another king that we learned about was David Hamelech. He came from the tribe of Judah. He was a shepherd like everyone else living in his area and had many characteristics similar to Moses. He was very sensible in speech, a musician, and a poet. He was a very successful king because he conquered the whole city of Jerusalem, and he fits into all the criteria that the Tanach describes in Deuteronomy 17.  He unfortunately made many mistakes too in his kingship. One major mistake that David made was that one day he saw a girl cleansing herself and soon after they had intimate relations. The girl, Bat Sheva, found out that she was pregnant and David wanted to hide this so he sent her back to her husband but it was unsuccessful so David arranged the girl’s husband Uriah to be killed. God was not very happy with this. The Tanach gives us both the good and the bad sides of these characters to show that people can make mistakes because we are all humans. 

 

two of my classmates act out the biblical story of David and Goliath

Why did King David choose Jerusalem for his capital?

The reason why David chose Jerusalem for his capital was because Jerusalem was a Jebusite City that did not belong to any one of the 12 tribes. Jerusalem was a very difficult city to capture so there would be a spectacular amount of military achievement that united all of the 12 tribes under David’s leadership. The last reason why King David chose Jerusalem for his capital was because it was the site of Mount Moriah where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac in Genesis chapter 22.

 

inside of Warren's Shaft, the archaeological excavation that leads to the water tunnel

What are some of the archaeological findings that were excavated at the City of David and what is their significance? 

When archeologists where digging through the walls, they found a long water tunnel which was one of the main sources of water when the city was under attack by the Assyrian empire in the year 701 BCE. Also they excavated what scholars believe was the royal palace of King David. It had many aristocratic buildings including metal stairs installed for modern visitors which I took a tumble on :). 

Overall this experience was tremendous. Everything in Israel is so beautiful and spiritual which is why it was so amazing to see something as incredible as Ir David.

 

the entrance to Warren's Peer at Ir David

Tiyul to Sataf Park

by Erika Apel,       grade 10,       Ontario

 

our Jewish history class, Kitat Kinor, in the Sataf JNF park

1. What were the challenges the Israelites had to deal with entering Eretz Yisrael? During this period of time the Israelites were questioning their devotion to God. We know this because they practiced idol worship. This was a big challenge because God specifically says, in the 10 commandments, to not practice idolatry. The other big challenge was the other inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael. The Philistines, the Canaanites and more were already in Eretz Yisrael and the Israelite tribes had to reclaim their land that God had promised to them.

 

spectacular view from Sataf in the Judean mountains with some almond tress in bloom

2. How did the Israelites deal with these challenges?  The Jewish people have faced many challenges, and have overcome nearly all of them. When the Israelites overcame their challenges before entering Eretz Yisrael it deepened their connection to God. The Israelites two big problems mentioned earlier were solved by the Story of the battle of Jericho which appears in the Book of Joshua. In the story of Jericho, God instructs the Israelites to participate in a very specific ceremony in order to knock down the walls which prevent them from entering the city of Jericho. Joshua was told to march his troops around the city for six days, blowing rams horns (shofars), while priests carried the Torah at the head of this parade. On the seventh day, the sound of them shouting along with the call of the shofars caused the wall to collapse. This deepened the Israelites connection to God because they believed God listened to their cries and broke down the wall for them, letting them into the city and helping them reclaim the land the land that was promised to them.

 

my classmate Talia leading the way.

3. What form of leadership did we have? We had very strong leadership when entering Eretz Yisrael, in order to overcome our problems. The first strong leader we had was Joshua. His leadership was militaristic and very strong. He led the fight of Jericho and allocated the land to the tribes when they got into Eretz Yisrael. After Joshua passed we had a series of Judges. The first one was Devorah, she tells Barak, the military general of the time, to fight the battle against the Canaanites and give her credit for the victory. Barak defeats the Canaanites with Devorah’s help and becomes the Israelite tribes prosper in the land. Next is Gideon who was told by God to prepare an army to lead the Israelites to defeat the Mennonites. He creates an army of 32,000 people which God says is too many people so he instructs him to let all people who are scared to go home. He brings the remaining 10,000 people to the water and says drink, whoever goes on their knees like a dog and drinks is also sent home. Now remained only 300 people so they are arranged in three columns and given a pot and a shofar. Gideon then instructs people to surround the camp and blow their shofar and to throw down their pans. The sound of the shofar causes the Ammonites to fight each other. Yiftach is the third Judge, he makes a deal with God in order to win the battle. If God lets him win the battle, he will sacrifice the first person who opens the door when he gets home. God held up is side of the deal and the Israelites win, when Yiftach returns home he is greeted by his daughter. Yiftach could not sacrifice his daughter and instead banishes her to the hills to live out her life in solitude. The final Judge is Samson (Shimshon), who was instructed even before he was born to not cut his hair. He was known for his strength that he derived from his uncut hair. All of the Judges experienced something that we know as the “Judges cycle”. It starts with the Israelites going astray or praying to idols (avoda zara), then there is a cry for help, God listens and sends a new Judge to solve the issue. They then thank God by praying loyaly.

 

class activity at Sataf learning about the Biblical Book of Judges

4. How did we make the transition into a farmer’s society? The Israelites started as shepherds when going through the desert. Once they reached Eretz Yisrael they transitioned into a farming society to produce their food. In order to live they needed to grow crops and herd animals, and in order to do so they needed water. The Canaanites asked for water from their God Baal. To avoid praying to the Canaanite Gods the Israelites invented a new terrace agriculture. When the rain came the water fell from each level to evenly distribute it amongst the plants. In modern services we continue to pray to God for water. In the Amida prayer we pray for water with the line “morid hatal מוריד הטל” or “modid hageshem  מוריד הגשם” , but we make a point not to pray to other Gods or idols for the rain.

 

Marissa and Talia having fun with the olive trees at Sataf

5. What were the special sites we saw? An interesting thing we learned is the species of plants that are native to the land of Israel, the shivat haminim. They are a part of our history because they have always been the source of food for the Israelites, since the times of Joshua and the reclaiming of the promised land. The crops are: grapes, pomegranates, figs, dates, olives, barely, and wheat. The importance of these crops is simply that they are a holy food for the Israelites and supplied food for them throughout the years.

here are my classmates with some dates (tamar)

Ancient Burial Cave at Kibbutz Tzuba

by Carly Whay,       11^th grade,        St. Louis

A week into our four month pilgrimage to Eretz Yisrael we were able to visit ~2700 year old burial caves here on Kibbutz Tzuba. Though we have been here a short time it is already evident how seeing history where it happened affects the learning process. Although ordinary schools are indoors and fairly similar, learning outside and in historical settings help students obtain information more easily. There's also a certain emotional aspect about it too. Sitting in the caves and thinking that this is where people in ancient times would come to bury their dead is very powerful.

In America, we learn about history sitting in a classroom, it doesn't seem real. But in Israel, we can walk right into our backyard and find 3,000 year old ruins of history. Kibbutz Tzuba is a great place to learn Jewish history for many reasons. Firstly, the people have maintained the same agricultural roots since biblical times. Secondly, Tzuba is mentioned in the Tanach. There was a biblical settlement in Tzuba. Towns in America will be at most 400 years old, and much of history would have been built over. Israel has been able to preserve the land in places like Tzuba so we can learn from them.

The burial cave itself was very interesting. What the ancient Israelites would do was that they would "bury" their deceased in the caves until the bodies decomposed and were eventually just bone, dust to dust. Then they would return them to their ancestors, meaning they would place the bones in a small cavity within the cave. This also ties into the ten commandments, "Honor thy Father and thy mother." In a literal sense this meant paying respect to the dead and visiting them, in accordance to the tradition of the time.

The reading of the Torah portion in Genesis "Chayei Sarah" inside the cave truly tied together the story of the cave. Since we cannot go visit the actual cave where the matriarchs and patriarchs are buried in Hebron, we can still experience what the cave must have been like before a Jewish worship area and a mosque were built on top of it.

Finally, it is unwise to take the Tanach necessarily as a literal source of history, but it should not be completely overlooked. The Tanach provides explanations and insight into the practices of our ancient ancestors. It is impossible to know if there was even an Abraham or Moses, but we know that these stories were passed down and are a part of our tradition. The Tanach may not have literally happened, but it certainly provides a moral code to live by and insight into lives and problems of our ancestors.

Our First Tiyul at Heller High:   Tel Gezer

by Eliza Wein,       10^th grade,         New York

On our sixth day in Israel, Heller High embarked on our first Jewish History tiyul, or field trip. We visited Tel Gezer, a man-made mountain with past layers of civilization stacked on top of each other like the layers in a wafer bar. While we were here, we learned about how the Canaanites lived 4,000 years ago and how this site has changed over time.

Four thousand years ago, Tel Gezer, now blanketed in green grasses and beautiful red kalanyot flowers, used to be home to a thriving community of people called the Canaanites. Some of structures they built have been excavated and we were able to see them. Observing these structures offers valuable insights on the lifestyle and beliefs of these people.

Around the hill we saw open space used for agriculture, including vineyards. We learned the Canaanites also depended on these same areas for growing food. I thought it was rather amazing that thousands of years ago these fields were being used for the same purpose.

Further along, we explored a cave dug by the Canaanites to access the groundwater that seeps down through the porous bedrock. Inside we heard the echoing cries of bats that make the artificial cave their home. Thousands of years after the residents of the city had faded away, the ditches they dug to sustain themselves are still supporting life.

Back in the day of the Canaanites, Israel was conveniently located between the powerful civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia. This strategic placement allowed Gezer (along with other cities in Israel), to become thriving trade hubs. With many different and sometimes hostile peoples passing through, it became important to protect from invaders. In response, the people of Gezer built a gigantic wall and guard tower (the ruins of which we were able to see) that kept the city safe.

Further along the path we were met with a special surprise- Abraham and Sarah came for a talk! They weren’t fans of the Canaanites- in Abraham’s words, “Dude, they’re stupid dude.” Perhaps it was their polytheistic beliefs, or their frequent child sacrifices, but Sarah and Abraham avoided Canaanite cities, instead preferring to roam the countryside as nomads. They believed in one God they called יהוה. Abraham and Sarah were so strongly opposed to the Canaanites that they didn’t want their son Isaac to marry a Canaanite woman, because they believed he would adopt their gods through marriage.

While we explored around the Tel, David taught us about some of the archaeological finds at Gezer and why they were important. One rather disturbing find here was of the bones of children in a vessel near the worship alters the Canaanites used to pray to their gods so that there would be rain. Another important find here is a calendar with the ancient Hebrew alphabet that was used to keep track of harvest months and to teach children. This is significant because at the time it was discovered (1905) it was the oldest example of written Hebrew ever found. It is also important because it shows how children may have been educated. Lastly, the defense tower at Gezer is the largest ever found in Israel.

After seeing all the ruins, some of which were oddly sophisticated, the image of the Canaanites as an advanced people comes to mind. I can hardly imagine how someone might build a large stone tower without modern tools, chisel out and transport massive stone pillars, or make complicated clay vessels by hand. With regard to child sacrifice, it was their way of explaining events, and they didn’t know any better since it was commonly practiced back then my many peoples. Like we believe in the weather forecast, they truly believed what they were doing was the only way to bring rain, because they didn’t have the scientific knowledge to have an alternate explanation.

As we wrapped up the tiyul and had tefilah under a shady tree, it gave us time to reflect on the trip we had just done and imagine what life must have been like four millennia ago.