By Rabbi David Wilfond, Director of Education
On Friday, the teens left the desert and finally arrived in Jerusalem! In the afternoon the group visited a park looking out over the Walls of the Old City and had a “Welcome to Jerusalem” ceremony with Challah and Grape Juice. They sang songs about Jerusalem that they learned in the dessert to celebrate their first ever view of the Ancient and Holy City of Jerusalem.
After Shabbat, the teens had a chance to literally get their hands dirty digging up the Biblical land of Israel at an excavation at the Ancient Jewish City of Beit Guvrin. The teens then travelled to one of Israel’s oldest sites, the Biblical city of Gezer. The Biblical Patriarch Abraham and the Matriarch Sarah lived near Gezer, but never settled in this city because its residents’ attitude towards their children (offering them up as sacrifices) was anathema to everything Abraham and Sara believed in. Today there still stands at Gezer an ancient Canaanite altar with twelve giant stone idols representing the chief “Gods” of the Canaanite religion. Alongside the altar archaeologists uncovered mounds of charred bones of human babies from the offerings of the Canaanites. The whole point of the Torah’s story about “The binding of Isaac” is to teach us that our God does not want us to sacrifice children. As Jews, we may sacrifice for our children, but we don’t sacrifice children! In contrast, our Torah commands “Choose life that you and your children shall live and long endure on the land that I have promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” (Deuteronomy)
This week, the group has been exploring the ancient city of Jerusalem. The teens learned about Jerusalem’s glory as the Capital of Ancient Israel established by King David more than 3,000 years ago. They also visited the site of one of the world’s most famous archeological excavations by the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, built by King Herod more than two thousand years ago. Many of our synagogue rituals today have their origins in the practices of our ancestors in the original Temple in Jerusalem. These include blowing the shofar, the Barchu Prayer to start the service, singing the Shir Hamaalot song before the Birkat Hamazon grace after meals, the Priestly Benediction Birkat Cohanim, and many more! The teens also learned about the Fall of Jerusalem in the year 70 CE when it was burned to the ground by the Romans. A hand full of survivors of the destruction of Jerusalem fled as refugees to Masada for a last stand against the Roman Empire. Tomorrow, the teens will ascend Masada before sunrise, so they can witness the beauty of dawn in the Judean desert. They will see the ball of the sun crest over the Mountains of Moab, overlooking the waters of the Dead Sea, in one of nature’s most breathtaking spectacles. The teens will join in a sunrise tefilla prayer service and then explore the dramatic and controversial dilemma of the defenders of Masada who struggled to live as Jews in an unpluralistic, unaccepting, and inhospitable Roman world.
After a dip in the salty waters of the Dead Sea and a camel ride, the teens will make their way north to the green Galilee mountains as they continue their adventures in the Land of Israel.
