Oral Law Tiyul:    Beit Shaarim and Beit Alpha

by Zach Meyers,     11^th grade,       California

**here's the link to Zach Meyers's personal blog that he's writing about Israel:
https://zachmeyers.me/israel-blog/

the cave of the coffins at Beit Shaarim

While I usually don’t enjoy waking up at 6:15 in the morning, I can definitely say that going on the Oral Law Tiyul to Beit Sha’arim and Beit Alpha was not only an enlightening experience, but was also one of the few tiyulim I’ve been on that has really piqued my interest. We woke up fairly early in the morning, hopped on the bus, and drove north for nearly two hours until we arrived at Beit Sha’arim. 

Beit Sha’arim, located in northern Israel, contained well-preserved remains of ancient burial caves (literally called a necropolis maning ‘city of the dead).  Located there were the stone coffins (sarcophagi) of many influential rabbis of the Sanhedrin, the members of the ancient rabbinic courts - these caves were from the 2nd century CE. The Sanhedrin frequently moved around the land of Israel in pursuit of a better economy and Beit Sha’arim was an economically strong location in the late second century. It was also where the Mishna, or Rabbinic (Oral) law was codified by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi around the year 200 CE. The Mishna is an extremely important Jewish text, since so much of the Torah is hard to interpret or outdated, the Mishna is what connects it to us. In essence, it’s the bridge that connects the Jews to the Torah. I strongly believe all Jews should be educated about the oral law. 

appropriately, next to the ancient Beit Alpha synagogue we prayed the afternoon service

What was shocking about the burial caves is they depicted the influence that other ethnic groups had on the Jews. The burial caves, which were the resting places of some of the most influential rabbis at that time, showed images depicting a Greek god and other animals. Images of this kind are strictly prohibited by Jewish law, considered to be avodah zarah, or idol worship. Shockingly enough, this was replicated at the ancient synagogue in Beit Alpha that was built in 530 CE that also depicted Roman pagan influence. The synagogue’s mosaic floor, far from being just an artistic addition, further depicted avodah zarah and really made me wonder about the power of assimilation -- if the Jews willingly integrated Roman and Greek customs into their religious life, what does this say about human nature and how likely we are to adopt other traditions or customs just because they’re present in our life? American Jews, for example, are already acculturated; many observe non-Jewish holidays such as Halloween simply because they are a part of America’s culture and society.

 

we were lucky to go swimming on our lunch break here at the Sachne natural pools

Overall, I’m really happy I was able to go on this tiyul. It was not only extremely interesting and allowed me to connect to the content covered in class, but I believe it has a strong modern-day application - it called into question the influence that other groups can have on us. While by no means should we turn away from other cultures, and curiosity should be welcomed, it’s important to stay loyal to our values and to avoid making sacrifices for social acceptance. Not to mention, we were able to go swimming in the nearby Sachne natural pools next to Mt. Gilboa with fish swimming around during our lunch break!