Tours in Jerusalem with Yishay Shavit

Parashat Ekev holds an interesting claim. It says that it is acceptable to worship God and fulfill his commandments while hoping for some kind of a reward. One does not become a lesser Jew if he observes the commandments in order to gain some profit or avoid any kind of damage that might otherwise be caused by God. This idea can be found in the following part of the Parasha:

” And it shall come to pass, if you shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the lord your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that you mayest gather in your corn, and your wine, and your oil“. (Deuteronomy 11, 13-14)

These words are part of the “Shma” prayer and can also be found in Mezuzahs and Tefillin, which means that they are an important part of Jewish daily life for thousands of years. Many Rabbis, and Maimonides amongst them, when interpreting the Mishna have noticed the contradiction between these words and the words of Parashat Shma that commands us “And you shall love the lord your God with all your heart, and with all your  soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6,5).

This is a demand for a pure love of God, a love that does not expect anything in return. Apparently both ways are acceptable by Judaism maybe because of the belief that even if it is not intended, a good believer might come out of someone who only observes commandments without loving God.

Among other rewards that God promises his people if they only observe his commandments and follow his ways are: ” For the lord your God brings you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, springing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land of olive-trees and honey;” (Deuteronomy 8, 7-8).

According to this verse, Moses who says these words while they are about to cross the Jordan River and conquer the promised land they yearned for more than forty years in the desert, promises the Israelites a fertile land if only they observe Gods commandments. A land is considered fertile if it gives us the seven species mentioned in the above verse. When we read Honey in this specific place it means dates.

For many generations Jewish artists referred to the seven species that symbolize the fertility of the land. Many synagogues around the world have pictures and frescoes of the seven species. Some people put a reminder for the seven species in their Succa and others eat them in Tu Bishvat ( the 15^th day in the Jewish month of Shvat – a Jewish holiday that is known as New year of the trees). This last practice that goes back to the days of Isaac Luria – Ha’ari – is the one that links us to a small tour in Jerusalem with Parashat Ekev in mind.

The assembly hall in the Knesset - designed and inspired by the Jewish Menorah

Tu Bishvat is also an important holiday for the Israeli parliament – The Knesset. In Tu Bishvat 1949, after a most exciting election campaign, the Knesset assembled for the first time. Since then Tu Bishvat is considered the birthday of the Knesset and is accompanied with a festive assembly and media reports. In Tu Bishvat 1999 the Knesset became 50 years old. The philanthropists of the Jewish national fund (Keren Kayemet) decided to dedicate a splendid gift for the Knesset – a statue of the Menorah which is made of the seven species. The Menorah is actually an olive tree from which all other species sprout. The pedestals of the Menorah look like the pedestals in the Menorah of the Temple and the symbol of the state of Israel. This statue was made by the artist Eliezer Weishoff a master artist of numerous fine art disciplines, who was born in Machane Yehoda neighborhood in Jerusalem and graduated from the  Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. In the early 1960′s Weishoff started to design postal stamps and coins and created statues and drawings. Several of his works are displayed in Jerusalem. Among them are the 9/11 memorial that was erected in 2009 in the cedar forest and the stamps of “the gates of Jerusalem” that was printed in 1972.

The 9/11 memorial by Eliezer Weishoff

The Israeli Knesset hosts many fine works of art, for example the amazing tapestries by the Jewish artist Mark Chagall in the welcome hall and the impressive gates made by David Polombo. The decoration of the Knesset was not an easy task. The architect Joseph Klarwein was constantly arguing with the internal decorator Dora Gad. This was another setback in the schedule of building the Knesset. The Knesset was first assembled in a house in the center of Jerusalem ( Frumin house in King George street) the location was obviously a bad choice and in 1954 it was decided to move the Knesst to Giv’at Ram where other government offices and the supreme court where supposed to be built. It took Klarwein twelve years to tackle all obstacles and accomplish the mission.

The Chagall tapestries in the official welcome hall

The Knesset building changes constantly. The chairman of the Knesset has the authority to add or remove any work of art. During the time of the 14th Knesset Dan Tichon, the chairman decided to add the Menora of seven species statue to the Knesset.

Menorah of seven species by Eliezer Weishoff

Weishoffs work connects Parashat Ekev from the bible with Tu Bishvat and the Knesset and can still be found in the old part of the house. Whoever wants to tour the house and watch an assembly of the Knesset members will find the statue while climbing to the fifth floor. The place where the statue is situated always reminds me of a poem by Natan Alterman that was written after David Ben Guryon said: “We are already in the fifth floor of separation”. Here is Altermans poem “The fifth floor”:

“In order to renew the past

We came together to our homeland

Alas we climbed to the fifth floor

And we can’t climb down

Our fight is growing

And like the olive tree won’t stop

And in the streets they shout that the fifth floor

Jeopardizes the entire house…”

I truly hope that as opposed to Altermans pessimistic poem, The Menorah of seven species will remind our legislators what was said in Parashat Ekev: ” And it shall be, if you shall forget the lord your God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I forewarn you this day that you shall surely perish“

(Deuteronomy 8,19)

I believe that every one of us can interpret “other gods” as he wishes.

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The Parasha of Shoftim deals with a variety of issues. Rules for the conducting of a king, the theory of law and justice and a broken necked heifer are only examples for some of the subjects. I decided to refer to only two verses:

These verses are used during Tu-Bishvat (the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shvat) and in other events in order to point out the affinity between a human and the tree of the field. A good illustration for this idea is given by Nathan Zach’s Poem:

The first line of the poem represents another possibility for the English translation of the verse “Are trees of the field human “, hence an interesting double meaning. The view expressed in the poem is very common these days. It is a kind of an ecologic point of view that humanizes the tree of the field and ties its fate with the fate and course of life of man. It is interesting to mention here that the more traditional interpretation including the English translation of the bible understands these verses in a completely different way. Rashi thinks that the expression “Because the man is the tree of the field;” is actually a rhetorical question – Are trees of the field human? Definitely not! Trees can’t hide behind fortified walls so why should we vandalize them? Eben-Ezra understands the human life depend on the trees. People eat the fruit of trees and shouldn’t damage them. Rashbam understands the verses as forbidding the uprooting of trees far from the city under siege but enabling warriors to cut down the flora if it serves as cover to the enemy.

Alongside the words of the distinguished interpreters, we find that in modern Israeli way of thinking there is a special place for the direct analogy between human and tree. An interesting example can be found on mount Aminadav nearby Jerusalem, where on 1966, the Kennedy memorial was built.

The Kennedy memorial

John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States is remembered in Israel mostly because of the Cuban missile crisis. Theoretically there was no special connection between J.F. Kennedy and the state of Israel. Well, he did meet Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir but you can’t say he was particularly friendly towards Israel. Considering this it might come as a surprise that the decision on building a memorial for Kennedy in Jerusalem was made on the same day he was killed. The man who suggested it was Menachem (Max) Bresller, head of the USA branch of the Jewish national fund. Bresller has done much for the state of Israel in fund raising and the Jerusalem neighborhood nearby is named after him “Kiryat Menachem”.

The Kennedy memorial near Aminadav

The Kennedy memorial was built by architect David Resnick. It is shaped as a pruned trunk of an oak tree as if saying “… the man is the tree of the field”. Kennedy’s life and premature death were compared to the severed trunk of a tree typical to the Israeli forest. The memorial is built with 51 concrete pillars with the 50 emblems of American states and the one of Colombia district. Inside there is a place representing eternal flame and a relief on Kennedy’s face, identical to the one set on Kennedy’s tomb in Arlington, Virginia.

David Resnick was born in Brazil and started his professional life over there. He was greatly influenced by his master, the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer who built the Cathedral of Brasilia. Resnick’s Kennedy memorial is deeply influenced by the cathedral.

You can find a quite a few of Resnick’s buildings in Jerusalem: The Giv’at Ram Synagogue, The Yad Labanim (a memorial for soldiers) and the Education faculty in the Hebrew university on mount Scopus.

The Kennedy memorial, known as Yad Kennedy, was inaugurated on the 4th of July 1966 and since then it has become a symbol of the deep connection between the USA and the state of Israel. Many ceremonies take place in this wonderful spot, where the pruned trunk memorial lays among the trees of “Forest of peace”, symbolizing the strong affinity between mankind and world, mankind and the tree of the field.

Oscar Niemeyer, the Cathedral of Brasilia

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“These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan in the wilderness in the Arabah opposite Suph”. These are the opening words of “Devarim” (Hebrew for words) the first Parasha in the Book of Deuteronomy (Called the book of Devarim in Hebrew). I have to say that the exposition is very surprising. Moses was no great speaker, on the contrary: In the Parasha of Shmot we hear him tell God “for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue” (Exodus 4:10), But here, we find Moses speaking in front of a huge audience of Israelites. His speech is as long as the book of Deuteronomy, a fifth of the Torah (The five books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). In light of this radical change in Moses’ behavior, I believe that the first few sentences are of crucial importance. Instead of telling the whole story from the time Jacob and his sons came into Egypt, Moses decided to start his speech from the days in the Desert and the conquering of the Transjordan. Not a very nostalgic approach, is it?

The Parasha of Devarim is all about the conducting of the Israelites in the desert, the sin of the spies who discouraged them, its punishment and the conquering of the Transjordan, but the Shabbat this week is better known for its’ Haftarah (sections from the writings of the prophets, read on Sabbaths after the reading from the Torah). The Shabbat is known as Shabbat Hazon. The Hebrew calendar makes this the last Shabbat before the 9th of Av (The day of fast that commemorates the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem). Theoretically it is only a coincidence, as it seems there is no connection between the conquering of the Transjordan and the destruction of both Temples, or is there? Prof. Yeshayahu Leibowitz thinks otherwise. He argues that the destruction of the Temple is a punishment for a sin just like Isaiah (Yeshayahu) the prophet say in our Haftara:

Those sins that caused the destruction of both temples are common knowledge and Chazal, the Jewish sages, discussed the issue thoroughly. Prof. Leibowitz expands the discussion and makes a connection between Moses’ words from the Parasha “But how can I bear your troubles, burdens and disputes by myself?” (Deuteronomy 1:12) with Isaiah’s words from the Haftara “The faithful city – what an adultress she has become” (Isaiah 1:21) and with the famous opening words of the book of Lamentations “How she sits alone the city crowded with people” (Lamentations 1:1). In his book “Seven years of conversations over the weekly Torah portion” Leibowitz claims that there is a connection between the conducting of the Israelites in the desert, the prophesies of admonishment and destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. The book of Lamentations is called ‘Eicha’ in Hebrew. The word Eicha means “howcome?” and the repetitive way it is used in the text indicates that the end of story can be predicted by its’ beginning – the sin and its punishment are one. And what was the sin? Leibowitz hints that the real sin is the Israelites’ conquest. Reading this in Leibowitz’s book reveals an implication that goes all the way to our modern times. As for myself, I’m not sure that the writings are that clear about the sin implied by Leibowitz but it is an interesting argument.

After showing a tight connection between the Parasha of “Devarim” and the 9th of Av, it becomes obvious that on the eve of 9th of Av we should visit the Wailing Wall, Known as The Kotel.  And what an experience it is! The square in front of the Kotel is packed with tens of thousands of people sitting on the floor and reading from the book of Lamentations. That night you can see Ultra orthodox Jews of all sects sitting alongside Religious Zionists, Traditional religious Jews and even Jewish tourists from all over the world. While some people take photos without bothering anyone, others fall on the floor and pray and just beside them people pass by and take care not to step or trip on them. It is really a moving sight.

The huge crowd that attends the Kotel on the 9th of Av takes part in an ancient tradition. During the time of the Byzantine Empire, Jews were allowed into Jerusalem only on the 9th of Av. They used to go to the Kotel and lament the destruction of the Temple (Hence the name “Wailing wall” that was given to the Kotel). Throughout all periods, Jews gathered near the Kotel whenever they could.

A nice example can be found in the words of Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi who visited the Kotel in the 9th of Av 1908:

“I have been to the Kotel many times by now, but today it seemed different. The crowds flow, all walking barefoot. They all approach the Kotel silently and solemnly and their footsteps make no sound. A sound of Lamentation is heard. On the floor, people sit in circles and read their lamentations to the light of candles…flocks of women who seem glued to the Wailing Wall weep bitterly. We stood their silent for a long time until we could detach ourselves from the sight.

(Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi, “Anu Olim”, P.70)

During theses moments at the Kotel on the 9th of the month of Av, many remember Nebuchadnezzar and Titus the destructors of The Temples. I remember Titus as well, Son of Vespasian Caesar and the man who demolished the second Temple. These are grave allegations that made Titus one of the most hated figures in the Jewish history (though I must say he has quite a few rivals trying for this dubious title). Here, near the Kotel on another commemoration day for the destruction of the Temple I want to remind myself the words of Josephus referring the war council called by Titus just before the burning of the Temple. As opposed to the recommendation of his captains of thousands who thought he should burn the Temple for military reasons, Josephus quotes Titus saying:

(Josephus, The wars of the Jews, book 4, ch.4)

How about that? Titus objected the destruction of the Temple! Even strategic arguments couldn’t change his mind. Josephus, Titus’ personal Historian pictures Titus as a tenderhearted guy who, when heard that the Temple caught fire by accident, “as he (Titus) was resting himself in his tent after the last battle; whereupon he rose up in great haste, and, as he was, ran to the holy house, in order to have a stop put to the fire;”

(Josephus, The wars of the Jews, book 4, ch.4)

Indeed, It is a day of self examination in Jerusalem…

lamentations by the Kotel on the 9th of Av

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‘Parashat Bo’ is one of my favorite weekly portions of the Tora. The book of Genesis holds many of the most interesting stories. These stories set example for human behavior for centuries.

However, I still feel there is something missing in the book of Genesis. There is no Halakha in the book of Genesis, no rules as for the way the Jewish people should conduct its day to day life. Actually, the first ‘Mitzva’ (or commandment) in the bible that concerns not only individual ancestors but the whole Jewish people is given in the parashat Bo. As a person who takes interest in the history of the Jewish people I think this is a significant issue. A commandment given to one person is an individual case with a lesson to be learned. A commandment given to a nation gives us a basis for the study of the way Jewish communities all over the world chose to live their lives for centuries. It should not surprise us that Rashi thinks in a similar way. Even when he writes his first interpretation at the beginning of the book of Genesis he says: “The bible should have been opened with the words “…This month is to be the beginning of months for you” (Exodus 12:2) which is the first mitzvah given to the Israelis. This verse is taken of course from the Parasha of Bo.

The parasha of Bo includes a few important events: The last three of the plagues of Egypt, Some sensitive meetings between Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron (one of the meetings includes the saying “we will go with our young and our old” Exodus 10:9, a phrase later used by Shmuel Yosef Agnon in a wonderful short story that carry the same name), The first Passover occasion, The banning of Leavened food (Chametz), The explanation for Tefillin (phylacteries) and much more. I, as you probably guessed, chose to look at the verse “This month is to be the beginning of months for you; it is the first month of your year” (Exodus 12:2). This first Mitzva is not negligible. As a matter of fact this commandment establishes a base for every Mitzva which is time dependent. It lies as a foundation to the Jewish calendar – a lunar calendar starting at the month of Nisan. The clearest interpretation for the mitzvah is given naturally by Rashi who uses the Midrash of Shmot Raba: “and thus he showed him (God to Moses) the moon in its renewal and told him that when the first of every month will be when the moon is reborn… And he told him that the month of Nisan will be the first of the months”.

I went to the streets of Jerusalem to look for a physical realization of the concept of Rosh chodesh (The first day of the Jewish month) and the renewal of the moon. Walking for a while I got to Zichron Moshe neighborhood, one of the five neighborhoods named after Moshe Montefiore. In the past, the neighborhood was a symbol of progress and, at the days of World war one, was considered the most modern neighborhood in Jerusalem. The first Hebrew kindergarten was founded there (The kindergarten teacher was Hassia Feinsood-Sukenick, Yigal Yaddin’s mother. In the neighborhood of Gillo there is a main street called after her – Haganenet Street). In this neighborhood the Hebrew Gymnasia of Jerusalem was built and many well educated figures like David Yellin lived there. Today things are different. Instead of a modern neighborhood you can find there many old houses and the residents represent the old Jewish settlement rather than the new one. The neighborhood is now completely ultra orthodox. In the same class that was used as the first Hebrew kindergarten young children speak Yiddish, The near by Edison cinema that controversially screened movies even on Saturdays was destroyed in order to build a public gathering place for the ultra orthodox community. In the neighborhood there is an impressive number of Synagogues. On many walls, near the entrance to the Synagogues you can find table for Kiddush Levana (the prayer of the sanctification of the moon)

Zichron Moshe neighborhood in Jerusalem

The Mitzva of Kiddush Levana involves a commandment to watch the “young” moon outside the synagogues door under the starry sky. You can say the prayer any time between the third day of the month to the fifteenth, however, most people will prefer to follow the “Shulchan Aruch” (The Jewish code of law) and say it at the end of the Shabbat day following the third day of the month. That day people exit the synagogue and pray in a place which is usually dark. Many synagogues hang a large sign with the Blessing of the moon in big visible letters just near the entrance. In Hebrew we have a phrase which literally means “Letters of the moon blessing” ( Otiyot Kiddush Levana) and it is used to describe large clear writing.

Zichron Moshe's Shtiebel

In the synagogue of Zichron Moshe (8 Chafetz Chaim Street, Zichron Moshe neighborhood) they took the idea of Kiddush Levana Boards and went one step further and decided to put the blessing on two boards instead of one. When you know that synagogue is a Shtiebel, a place that hosts many Minyanim (Jewish prayer quorums) all day and night long. A man who woke up late and still want to participate in a public prayer can find a late morning Minyan. The same goes for a man who wants to pray the evening prayer at two a.m. For this reason and because many respected preachers attend the place, the synagogue became one of the busiest in Jerusalem and once a month on the designated Shabbat evening you can join the huge crowed praying Kiddush Levana, The same moon that is the root of the first commandment in the Bible, the Mitzva in the Parasha Of Bo.

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The word Vayechi in Hebrew means “And he lived” and this is the twelfth Parasha in the annual Jewish cycle of the Torah reading. Here we read about Jacob, who is laying on his deathbed in the land of Goshen in Egypt and thus he calls for his son Joseph. In this occasion Jacob adopted Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Menashe as his own sons and blessed them. Jacob found himself immersed in deep thought and self examination. He thought of his beloved wife Rachel and made a confession:

The same Jacob who has striven with god and with man (Genesis 32:29), Jacob who was involved in great deeds thinks on his deathbed of his wife who died so young. The bible is not generous with words and instead we turn to Rashi who emphasizes the agitated state of Jacob. The words of Rashi were written with minor changes as a poem by Shimshon Meltzer “I will sing for Rashi”:

The first time I encountered Meltzer’s poem (who was Berl Katzenelson’s partner In “Davar” a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in the Mandate Palestine and Israel between 1925 and May 1996) was when I read Haim Sabato’s book “From the four winds”. Like the author of the book I also “…felt a kind of pleasantness. The words, the lines, the periods and the memories stirred inside me, whirled my thoughts and reminded me more and more pictures” (Haim Sabato, “From the four winds”, p. 76) and who won’t shed a tear after reading this interpretation of Jacob’s words? Jacob in his last days and moments is a sensitive sad man who lived for many years with a personal tragedy that never left him from the day it happened. I feel it is one of the saddest verses in the bible. I feel the shadow of this verse every time I read the Parasha of Vayechi. It gives a different and more significant meaning to Jacobs blessing to his sons, the blessing which is the heart of the Parasha of Vayechi. It is hard to find any reference for Jacob’s sorrow but his blessing is well mentioned. One of the best examples is situated in “Bikur Cholim” hospital near the crossroads of Strauss and Hanevi’im st. in Jerusalem. The western building entrance doors depict the signs of the twelve tribes and according to tradition they show motifs mentioned in Jacob’s blessing in the Parasha of Vayechi. The brass doors are the handiwork of one of the most important artists who lived and worked in Jerusalem during the 1920’s. The artist, who graduated from Bezalel Academy of arts is Ze’ev Raban. Raban was influenced by the stories of the bible and embedded many biblical motifs in his works. Among his works are the capitals of the pillars in the Y.M.C.A building in Jerusalem. These capitals predictably show many biblical motifs. They were made to the order of the Architect Arthur Loomis Harmon who took part in the building of the Empire state building in New York. It seems it was only natural that Ze’ev Raban will get a street named after him.

Ze’ev Raban’s Brass doors show twelve squares, one for each Israeli tribe. The square dedicated to Zebulun shows a ship at the heart of the ocean, reminding us the verse “Zebulun will live by the sea shore and will be a harbor for ships, and his territory will be next to Sidon…” (Genesis 49:13), Issachar is showed as “…a strong donkey lying down between the saddlebags” (Genesis 49:14) and Asher who was blessed with “…food will be rich and he will produce royal delicacies” (Genesis 49:20) gets a bowl full with fruit in Raban’s work. A similar graphic description can be found in a series of postal stamps issued on the 8.11.1955 and designed by G. Hamori. We can see that the stamps shown in the attached picture show the symbol of each tribe according to Jacob’s blessing.

Ze’ev Raban’s “tribal doors” were placed in “Bikur Cholim” when the hospital moved out of the old city of Jerusalem to its present location in 1925 (The hospital was founded by the “Bikur Cholim” organization in the old city of Jerusalem in 1857. The building of the new hospital started in 1910 and was finished only 15 years later). One day I was guiding a group who took special interest in the subject. While standing in front of the doors I could see that the guard standing at the entrance never heard this story before. We spoke for a short while and I told him briefly the story of the place. It was very moving to see a new light in his eyes – for a moment he forgot his daily routine and found himself connected again to a different more spiritual Jerusalem. That was another proof that the Parasha of Vayechi is of importance to each and every one of us.

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The Parasha of Noah can be divided into two parts. The first tells us the story of Noah, his family and the flood myth. The second gives us an account of the history of mankind including the story of the tower of Babel. This Parasha is known and loved by most of the western world. Knowing this, it shouldn’t be such a surprise that Jerusalem has many sites that retell the tale or at least part of it. Thinking about the Parasha of Noah, I considered writing about Danziger’s Nimrod statue in the Israel museum or about The Bible Lands Museum. After rethinking the issue I decided to write about a place that refers directly to the story of Noah’s Ark – Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. It is a special place. Aaron Shulov, the founder of the zoo thought it necessary to establish a zoo that will serve as an academic research center and a visitor’s center. The story tells us that one day Shulov returned home and told his wife: “Yocheved, I decided to found a zoo in Jerusalem. I want the children of the city to be able to tell a dog and a jackal apart…” Shulov wanted the zoo to be influenced by its location in Jerusalem and to show a deep connection to the land of the bible. The Jerusalem biblical zoo was established in 1940 and changed it’s location a few times before settling in south west Jerusalem, its permanent home since the 1990’s. Elders of Jerusalem may remember the tiny old zoo that stood north of Tel Arza for years. These days it is one of the most popular sites in Israel.

Jerusalem Biblical Zoo

The Jerusalem biblical zoo hosts many biblical animals, but also enables a meeting with the red panda, the Tapir and the Cacatua – animals that were never mentioned in the bible. What then makes this zoo a biblical zoo? There are many answers to the question and some deal with alternative animal names that are mentioned in the bible ( The “zemer” mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 14 is considered a Giraffe for instance) My personal answer to this question is situated in the furthest point from the gate – An ark-like visitor’s canter. The place is all about a single verse:

It is a popular modern metaphor for Noah’s ark – the preservation of fauna of its era. Many animals will have been lost without Noah’s doing. The above citation emphasizes it well enough. The purpose of the ark was “to keep them alive” and the huge ark in the Jerusalem biblical zoo demonstrates its role in reviving and preserving wildlife in modern Israel. In a world experiencing a large scale extinction processes there is a significant importance for a struggle for preservation of the world’s wildlife. The zoo takes part in various re-introduction projects (the re-introduction of Fallow deer to the Nachal Soreq nature park for example), and tries to rear animals of Israeli endangered species. All those projects are presented to visitors in the heart of the Zoo’s wooden ark and demonstrate easily this highly important function of the Biblical Jerusalem institute.

A white Noah’s Ark Resting over the Judea Mountains

While watching the ark situated in the heart of the Judea Mountains I recalled that the ark is also a symbol of longing for peace and quiet, a symbol of yearning for the end of a storm and the creation of a brand new world. This image is well described in and old poem by Ester Raab (as was translated by me).

The image of an ark on the Judea mountains and the semi-surrealistic sight of and ark in the middle of a zoo remind me that Yehuda Amichai once wrote that “Jerusalem is a port city on the shore of eternity…” (Yehuda Amichai, Poems of Jerusalem, p. 78).   If the poet is right than the current location of the ark is wonderful, Second only to the Ararat Mountains. No doubt, the Jerusalem biblical zoo is the place to visit this week as we read the Parasha of Noah.

Rhinoceros at the Biblical zoo

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The weekly Tora Portion or ‘Parasha’ is the heartbeat of the Jewish calendar. Every week, throughout the year, Many Jews and many others who are not Jews unite while reading and studying an ancient text. From hundreds of years, Reading the Parasha had made an enormous contribution to the spiritual Jewish assets. Today it is as relevant as ever and many dedicated religious people as well as non-practicing Jews feel it serves as an impotent source of inspiration.

For the past few years I have tried to study the Parash every week. Sometimes I only find a moment to read the Tora portion. Other times I read the text and then turn to a thorough reading of interpretations. No doubt that the regular studies influence me. I use my knowledge while guiding tours in Jerusalem, I often find myself thinking of what I have just read and sometimes I find myself talking about it with friends. Some people might think a Parasha is a thing for holy people. Why should I, a secular Jew who chose not to keep the Mitzvot, read the Parasha? I can hear the thoughts of some who would say “He is becoming more and more religious… and what next? A Kipa, a beard and tearing toilet paper before Shabat?” well, I have to say that is the way I am. The Parasha interests me not because it involves matters of holiness but because it has a lot to do with our day to day life. As a tour guide who specializes in Jerusalem I often try and look for the ways the Parasha is realized in the streets of Jerusalem. It might come as a surprise, but I can find an example for every single Parasha. Sometimes it can be a whole site. Other times I’ll find a modest piece of art. It can be a reference to the complete Parash or just a small citation of one of the verses. After a while of doing this I have decided to start a project that will reveal the way I experience the Parasha in the streets of Jerusalem. The next posts will include my ideas about all the Parashot. I must say that often you’ll find quite a few places that relate to the Parasha and while writing I had to choose. I thought it would be best that I write about places that are not so commonly known to the public or that their connection to the Parasha is not a trivial one. I am sure it is not always the best choice. You are welcome to write and share your thoughts, ideas and corrections.

To conclude I’d like to apologize. It is going to be a while before the project is finished. I’ll do my best to write as often as possible and I hope that your patience will prove worthwhile.

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Parashat Bo

Parashat Devarim

Parashat Vayehy

Parashat Noah

Parashat Ekev

Parashat Shoftim