Programmed Haredi Opposition vs. GDP Contribution

The programmed attack, by so many Israelis, on Hareidim (the religious who wear black), those who dedicate their early life to Torah study and often continue into institutionalized Yeshiva life, is relentless. Their basis for attack is largely unwarranted except for the compounding fact that institutionalized Haredim default to extend Torah study and through it justify their avoiding compulsory service in Israel's defense force (IDF). These people are supported by their Rabbinical heads, much to the ire of Israel's secular and other religious communities. 

The Haredi Torah enterprise is an extremely successful machine, funded and financed by massive flows of foreign and domestic private sector philanthropy and government funding. Among those who exit institutionalized Torah study, some become independently wealthy and continue to finance and support the institutions and their people.

I have tried to aggregate the total of all private sector philanthropy dedicated to Haredi communities, but the government does not openly promote this statistic. In my estimate it warrants inclusion in the annual economic reporting of domestic GDP because it would certainly be a significant private sector contribution, likely to exceed $1 billion annually. Unreported GDP of this magnitude underlies ignorance among the wider community of Israelis.

What motivates the private sector to support such an enterprise is complex, but Haredim present the most successful model for Jewish continuity of any other Jewish segment, worldwide, by far and that may be the ultimate reason. 

Further, Haredi enlistment into the IDF is very low and the problem exacerbated by institutionalized sectors of  Haredi community who are typically older than 21, and who continue married life, centered around the Yeshiva, without ever pursuing regular forms of employment. Arab sectors of Israeli society who also have very low enlistment rates also drain taxpayer funding through educational institutions of Israel. The problem is not limited to Haredim, yet they remain the target of attack.

Efforts are underway to improve Haredi enlistment, but its high time the Haredi leaders and Israel's government fight for improved transparency so the nation can become more aware of their important economic contribution to the country.

Tragic Parallel Worlds!

7.10.23

Simchat Torah 

Torah's opening verses invite deep contemplations about creation into which we can masterfully weave our modern knowledge of astrophysics and quantum science. Last Hebrew year 5783 should have been a year in which the King of Israel traditionally taught his nation the secrets and wisdoms of Torah, but a King was not forthcoming.

Immediately after creation events Torah introduces readers to the mystery of its Messianic plan.

אֵ֣לֶּה תוֹלְד֧וֹת הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ בְּהִבָּֽרְאָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹם עֲשׂ֛וֹת יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶ֥רֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם׃2:4 Such are the generations of heaven and earth when they were created. When the LORD God prepared earth and heaven.

You can learn the unique elements of this verse in this previous post. Relevant here is the term  'generations' spelled in its full form only in one other verse of the 24 books of Torah - the Book of Ruth, where it refers readers to the Messianic blood line of King David.

Another verse shares an odd grammatical distribution with the Book of Ruth. The word Kaniti is the source of the name Cain. 

וְהָ֣אָדָ֔ם יָדַ֖ע אֶת־חַוָּ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֑וֹ וַתַּ֙הַר֙ וַתֵּ֣לֶד אֶת־קַ֔יִן וַתֹּ֕אמֶר קָנִ֥יתִי אִ֖ישׁ אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה׃ 4:1 Now Adam knew his wife Eve, she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have acquired a person with the help of God”

Then, Cain murdered his brother Abel.

Eventually God gifted Abraham the land of Canaan as his rightful inheritance, but that presented challenges. With few relatives and a small household how would Abraham settle his land? What did Abraham do? He reached a peace-pact for the Philistine King and his people to stay in his land including in Aza, that pact was extended to future generations by Abraham's son Isaac. 

Isaac's son Jacob escaped his angry brother, left his fathers land and after 20 years began his return with his wives, 12 children and a large wealth in cattle. His estranged brother Esau encountered him and in a strained conversation about their respective aquisitions, his brother Esau claimed he had everything and didn't need Jacobs gift, Jacob urged him to take it stating he had been blessed with much.

Jacob entered the holy land where he immediately built a house, which he called Succot including shelter for his cattle. Then, his daughter Dina was raped in the nearby fields by landowner Shechem. Jacobs sons Levi and Shimon defended their land and honored their sister in a revenge that eliminated 24000 Shechemites. Jacob was concerned for their regional safety and very disturbed by their act. 

God appeared to Jacob to remind him of the covenant he had made 22 years earlier, before leaving his the land, that on his succesful return he promissed to build The House of God. Essentially saying; Have you forgotten the One who blessed you with your success? Realizing the error of his tardiness, Jacob instructed members of his household to bury the idols and treasures they posessed under a tree near their house (a common practice in ancient times). Unholy idols that Rachel had stolen from her father  and others were now buried in the holy land. 

The family made its way to Beit El, Jerusalem where Jacob attempted to fulfill his belated House of God covenant. But, tt wasn't to be! Within six months of arriving, Jacob's mother, Rebecca, died. The family left Bet El and on the way to her funeral in Hebron, near Bethlehem, Jacob's wife Rachel died giving birth to his 13th child Benjamin. The tragedies continued, Benjamins brother, Joseph was kidnapped, by his older brothers, sold into slavery and all 70 members of their family was exiled to Egypt where Jacob died.

210 years later Moses led more than two millions Israelis out of Egypt toward their land. But, not on the coastal route through Aza, land of the feared Philistines. Instead Israel diverted inland on a journey that took 40 years longer than it could have. Eventually Joshua led Israel into its holy land, immediately they conquered Jericho, but failed to conquer Beit El, Jerusalem. On each attempt the occupants reminded Joshua about the peace-pact Abraham and Isaac had entered with their Philistine descendants permitting them to stay in the land.

The rear-guard tribe, Dan was allotted the coastal land including Aza (today's Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Bat Yam). The other 11 tribes had already settled their land and failed to assist Dan conquer the powerful Philistines. Samson became the leader of Dan and also the nations senior judge. Singlehandedly he tried to draw attention to Israel's tribal apathy. He travelled to Aza where he tore off the citys' gate, carried it to the graves of Israel's Patriarchs and Matriarchs, in Hebron and pleaded their spiritual help. Sadly his demonstration did not inspire other tribes to help. Dispossessed of their land, some of Dan's tribal leaders established an idolatrous temple opposite the nations temporary sanctuary in Shilo. Samson continued to belittle the Philistines until God afforded him the opportunity to destroy their temple of idolatry and perish along with their leaders and thousands of congregants. 

The Philistines took revenge, they raided Israel's strongest tribes and targeted their holy temple in Shilo. Daringly and brazenly they stole the nations most holy possession, handed down by Moses - The Ark of Israel's Covenant with God! A thousand years after Abraham and Isaac the Philistine peace-pact was shattered! But, Dan and Israel were dispossessed of their land and never returned to conquer Aza. 

After King David arose in Hebron he conquered Jerusalem where he lived alongside the conquered Jebusite King. He recovered the Ark that had been abandonned by the Philistines, unified Israel's tribes and dreamed to fulfil Jacob's mission to build the House of God, but it wasn't to be. Instead, his son Solomon committed Israel to virtual slavery, for 7 years, to fulfill Jacob's House of God mission. Critically, Solomon was more lavish with his ornate palace that it took 12 years to build!

The House of God was finally inaugurated and King Solomon took to the public square to teach his nation the wisdoms of Torah. During Succoth, the most positive, joyous festival, Solomon taught from his book of Ecclesiastes, Kohelet, he opened: Meaningless, meaningless everything in life is meaningless... the acquisitions are meaningless true meaning can only be found when fulfilling the commandments of God's holy Torah. Solomon's House of God and the final Herodian Jewish Temple, in Syria-Palestina, as the Romans had named Israel, were ultimately destroyed.

This year 2023, being 2848 years after Solomon's House of God inauguration, Israel experienced its most rambunctious political and social divisions. People violently protested, vehemently defended their points of view, openly and widely publicized their disdain for each other. The Supreme court ruled against traditional religious practices in public spaces, which gave impetus for some protestors to denigrate Israel's holiest day of the year. On the day following Succot, during the joyous Simchat Torah festival of 5784, (7.10.23), 3 KM east of Aza, hundreds of party revelers naively danced before a giant Buddha juxtaposed were those who elsewhere danced with the nations traditional Torah.

In these tragic hours God closed the final spiritual gates of all Israel's sophisticated defense, border, police, air, ground, sea surveillance systems and the human forces that operate these and protect Israel. He blocked the ears and eyes of the public and caused all of Israel to fall. At the same time the spiritual gates for Hamas operatives to enter and carry out their barbarian savagery were left wide opened. In the right time these events will be disected and analyzed in fine and gory detail. However, for most people that Hamas was not spotted, or thwarted on the fence, in the sky or on ground in the 3KM gap, will remain mysterious, probably inexplicable. Regardless, Israel's resolve and response will usher in a new positive reality for Gaza, Israel and the world. 

We are mostly ignorant of Torah's spiritual realms and mortals dare not tie any to the harsh reality before us. But, our national lows often parallel past events and this horror cannot escape us as we look to the spiritual realms to find meaning and purpose. Please God, soon a King will arise to expound the mysteries and wisdoms of Torah that will motivate us to change our sensitivities, considerations and priorities toward each other and God. Then, Israel will finally be ready to build a befitting House of God for all people. 

 

  

Humble Expectations On Jerusalem's Mount Moriah

In his quest for meaning Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z'l speaks:

Now, I want to ask you a simple question. King Solomon built a Temple. Is that a good thing or not? Well, it must have been a good thing. It was the greatest thing ever, right? But were there some downsides to it? Were there some downsides to building the Temple? Okay, have a look at the beginning of the story of the building of the Temple. Can you see what it says? [I Kings 5:27-30]

King Solomon conscripted labourers from all Israel, 30,000 men. He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of 10,000 a month. So they spent one month in Lebanon, two months at home... Solomon had 70,000 carriers and 80,000 stonecutters in the hills, as well as 3,300 foreman who supervised... How many people did he have building the Temple? Can you do your arithmetic? (Congregation member speaks) A lot, exactly so. Precisely so, 183,000 and some, okay? That remind you of anything? When was the last time you heard about the Israelites being turned into a labour force? (Congregation member speaks - Egypt) Correct. Hang on, we were supposed to leave Egypt, right? Solomon seems to have taken the people back into slavery.

Now, have a look here at [I Kings 9:20-23]. All the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Jebusites who were not of the people of Israel, these Solomon drafted to be slaves, and so they are to this day. But the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves. Can you read that? The Torah has to tell us, King Solomon didn't make the Israelites slaves. That's quite striking, is it not? Tell me, how long did it take Solomon to build the Temple? Anyone know?

Have a look, [I Kings 6:37-38]. In the fourth year the foundation of the House of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. And in the 11th year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it. It took him seven years to build the Temple, okay? Now look at the very next verse in Tanach. Can you see it?

[I Kings 7:1] Solomon was building his own house for thirteen years. Is that telling you something? He spent almost twice as long building his own palace as he spent building a House for God. So the Temple was a wonderful, wonderful thing, the greatest thing ever, but it practically reduced the whole of the Israelites to slavery. So that the Torah has to tell us, well he didn't actually make them into slaves, because at the end of seven years they could go free. And he spent twice as long building a house for himself as he spent building a House for God. That is a bit of a critique, right?

Now, do you remember what God said to David, when David said, "I've got to build a Temple for God." Anyone know what God said? Have a look, David says to the Prophet Nathan, "I want to build a house for God." Nathan says, that's a great idea, go ahead and do it. But, then we read... [II Samuel 7:4-7] But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord, would you build Me a house to dwell in? I haven't lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Egypt to this day. I've been moving about in a Tent for My dwelling. In all the places I've moved with the people of Israel, did I speak a word about any of the Judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, "Why haven't you built Me a house of cedar?"

I don't want a House. I'm happy with a Tent. So, we see that there is an undercurrent here. It's not the primary meaning, the Beit HaMikdash was the holiest thing ever, but there's an undercurrent that God didn't want this kind of palace. That it would turn the Israelites into a corvée, a nation of slave labourers. That it would be like every other nation in the ancient world, the modern world and everything in between. You want to announce, I'm great? You build monumental buildings. Everyone did it. Every, single nation there ever was. And God is saying to David, do you think I'm like that? Did I ever ask for such a thing? I was happy with a Tent. What was the name of that tent, by the way? It was called the Mishkan. Incidentally, how do English Bibles translate the word “Mishkan”. Anyone know? (congregation member answers: Tabernacle) “Tabernacle”. Does that remind you of something. (congregation members: Succot – the Festival of Tabernacles - Succah's) Are you with me? So, as house is to succah, so mikdash is to Mishkan as Temple is to Tabernacle. Right?

Now, I asked you a simple question. Who lived in a succah in the Torah? The Israelites, never! But what is the root of the word succah? Anyone know? What do we call the roof of a succah? S’chach. The root of succah is s’chach. Does that word appear anywhere in the Torah? The answer is yes, it appears twice. In which context, does anyone know? In the Mishkan, right?

There it is [Shemot 25:20-22] Vehayu hakeruvim, The cherubs, above the Aron [the Ark] right? The cherubs, porsay chnafayim lemalah, they spread their hands over them, sochechim bechanfayhem al-hakaporet. They comfort him. They were overshadowing, they were protecting, they were shadowing the kaporet. Al hakaporet uf’nayhem ish el-achiv el hakaporet. And the cherubs were facing one another. And that is in parshat Terumah, in which we have the command to build the Mishkan and the same words appear in parshat Vayakhel when they actually made the succah.

The only context in which s’chach appears in the Torah is in relation to the Mishkan, the tent. There is a place where, I'm not sure if it's the Temple, I'm not sure if it's the Temple, none of the commentators are sure it's the Temple, but does anyone know what harachamon we say in benching (grace after meals) on Chol HaMoed Succot? (congregation members answer) Harachamon hu yakim lanu et succat David Hannofalet. Right. You will see that that is a quote from Amos. [Amos 9:11] Bayom hahu akim et-succat David hanofellet. I will restore the succah of David that has fallen down. And remember what God said to David. I prefer living in a tent than a palace, than a House of cedar.

Now I'm going to ask you a very simple question. Which of the patriarchs lived in a house? Did Abraham live in a house? No, he lived in a tent. Did Isaac live in a house? No, he lived in a tent. You know who lived in houses? Have a look. Two angels come to Lot in Sodom. [Bereishit 19:2] Vayomer hineh na-adonay suru na el-bat avadechem... Lot lives in a house. Abraham lives in a tent. You know who else lives in a house? Look at source 28. [Bereishit 24:23] Vayomer bat-mi at hagidi na li hayesh beit avich makom lanu lalin. Abraham’s servant has come to find a wife for Isaac, who lives in a house? Laban lives in a house, Lot lives in house. Is that a good advertisement for a house? Not really, okay? Abraham lives in a tent, Isaac lives in a tent. Who is the first patriarch who lives in a house? Here is the verse, can you see it?

Now, listen, this has to be one of the strangest verses in the whole Torah. Listen carefully, [Bereishit 33:17] VaYaacov nassa succotah, and Jacob travelled to Succot, vayiven lo bayit, and he made for himself a house, the first patriarch to make for himself a house, ulemiknayhu assah succot, but for his cattle, he made succot. And he is about to celebrate the fact that he's the first patriarch to build a house. What do you think he's going to call the place? Beit something or other, right? Beit-El? Beit-Lechem? You name it. What does he call the place? Al kain kara shem hamakim Succot! Succot! There you are, you just bought a house in Hampstead Garden and you name it after your garage. I mean, have you ever seen anything more extraordinary? And what is Jacob telling us, the whole time? Jews don't have to live in houses to feel secure. I'm happy to live in succot, my animals live in succot, I'm happy to live there.

What does God say in parshas Behar? When you come to the land, the Land, you will never own it in perpetuity. Why? Ki li ha’aretz ki geirim vetoshavim atem imadi [Vayikra 25:23] “You are mere strangers and temporary residents, as far as I'm concerned.”

In other words, even though you live safely in the Land of Israel, never forget where you came from. Never settle down that you become complacent. Veram veshavevcha veshachachta, So that your heart is upraised and you forget where you came from and who you owe this to. Never forget. In the immortal words of the Beatles’ last recording, get back to where you once belonged.

So just as, in Israel, they were supposed to remember the forty years of wandering in the desert, now you begin to see this extraordinary thing, that just as, even though they are worshipping in the Temple Solomon built, don't forget how you first once had God living in your midst, in a succah, called the Mishkan, called the Tabernacle. You do not need great buildings of cedar and stone to find God. You can live in a little Mishkan or a portacabin, courtesy of Ikea, I have to tell you. And still God will be there. If, of course, you're keruvim [cherubs] whose face was ish el re’eihu. You turn face to face to your human being. That is where the Shechinah, the presssence of God lives. You remember where the Keruvim were facing in Solomon's Temple? They were not facing one another, they were facing peneihem el haBayit. They were facing the House, they were not looking at each other.

The Gemara in Bava Batra, [daf 99a] says, when Israel do the will of God, the cherubs face each other. When they don't do the will of God, they face the Bayit (House). That is an extraordinary Gemara. It's telling us that the Mishkan was closer to what Hashem wanted than Solomon's Temple. And what Succot is telling us is: Succot is when the Israelites went to the Temple and celebrated the produce of the fields and they thanked HaKadosh Baruch Hu, but they never forgot where they came from. Because every time a nation forgets its youth, its childhood, the hard times they had when they were struggling to make a go, they become decadent and they eventually decline and fall. But Jews never are allowed to do that because it's enough that you’re gerim and toshavim, that you’re temporary residence, and you're always asking Me [i.e. God] for another year of life. And it's enough, don't think you've got a great, big Temple, as good as the Egyptians, and the Mesopotamians. I tell you, I'm good enough with a Mishkan. Because that is the succah, that's the s’chach, that memory of the Mishkan is good enough for Me.

And we now understand exactly the argument of Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Eliezer. What is a succah? Rabbi Akiva is right. A succah was a succah mamash. Not a hut the Israelites lived in but the Mishkan, the portable, temporary dwelling that God dwelled in. And Rabbi Eliezer was right when he said annanei kavod. Because where were the annanei kavod? (Congregation member answers) Do you think they covered the people? If you look in the Torah, you will see they covered the Mishkan.

As long as they were in camp, the Cloud was over the Mishkan. When it moved beyond the Mishkan, then it was time to travel on. The Mishkan was a temporary dwelling.

But the odd thing is that the Temple was a permanent dwelling and yet it was destroyed twice, and we don't have it anymore. But the Mishkan, which could move anywhere, because God is everywhere, became the symbol of the shul that you can build in Jerusalem, but also, not bad, in Hampstead Garden Suburb. That became the permanent symbol. The temporary became permanent and the permanent turned out only to be temporary.

Ki besuccot hoshavti et Bnei Yisrael - when I brought them out of Egypt [Vayikra 23:42] It wasn't the Israelites who lived in a succah, it was God who lived in a succah. And the succah is telling us something absolutely unbelievable. That you don't need to have megabucks to buy a home for God. All you need is a garden shed and a bit of faith. And you have your schach and they overshadow you the way the cherubs overshadowed the Ark. And between the Keruvim is the Clouds of Glory.

The simplest, poorest Jew, who turns his face to his brother or sister, and builds a little succah is bathed in Clouds of Glory. And he has built his own, private equivalent of the Mishkan.

The Enigma of Ai

 

The Excavation
1.3KM East of City of David

Many have searched for the elusive ancient city of Ai, but so far no suitable candidate has gained comprehensive support from archaeology and biblical scholars. However, one recently discovered location has been missed, not spoken of very much and not identified with any other previous locations. Uncannily, it was excavated in 2009 simultaneous with the the rock-cut-rooms on the eastern slope of Mount Moriah, 1.3 kilometers to the west.

East of Beit El, West of Ai

IMPORTANT: Jeroboam established a competitive Bethel, that confounds people to this day.

To resolve confusion, the image above satisfies each of the five places, in the Bible that link Bethel and Ai. For the correct archaeological site to be identified, each description must conform to the precise physical location.

a. Abram’s tent: "From there he moved on to the hill east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and he built there an altar to the Lord and invoked the Lord by name." (Genesis 12:1-8)

          

And he returned by stages from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been formerly, between Bethel and Ai, the site of the altar that he had built there at first; and there Abram invoked the Lord by name. (Genesis 13:3-4)

b. The conquest of Ai: “Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which lies close to Beth-aven – east of Bethel” (Joshua 7:2). Joshua set an ambush of thirty thousand warriors, followed by a second ambush of five thousand, strategically placed “between Bethel and Ai – west of Ai.” When Joshua and his men feigned retreat, the armies of both cities pursued their Israelite foes, leaving the cities defenseless against the hidden ambush: “Not a man was left in Ai or in Bethel who did not go out after Israel; they left the city open while they pursued Israel” (Joshua 8:17).

c. The 31 Canaanite kings: One of the kings listed is “the king of Ai, near Bethel” (Joshua 12:8).

d. The returnees from exile (in Zerubbabel’s time): ...of those “who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city” (Ezra 2:1; Nehemiah 7:6), the returnees are organized by point of origin. There we find: “The men of Bethel and Ai – 223” (Ezra 2:28; in Nehemiah 7:32 the number is given as 123).

e. The final listing of the people of Israel: “The Benjamites: from Geba, Michmash, Aija [Ai] and Bethel and its outlying towns” (Nehemiah 11:31).

In each of the above cases the excavation at Ras al-Amud fits the correct location, time period and scale for the missing city of Ai. 

City of Ai at Ras Al Amud, finally located

In the rectangle original Beit El before the walled city.
Approximately 1.3KM west of Ai
Boundary - Benjamin (north) and Judah (south).

The hypothesis for original Beit El is strengthened by archeological findings and carbon dating. Details in the video below.

 

A Donkey Speaks!

BS"D

The identical phrase "with drawn sword in his hand" “וְחַרְבּ֤וֹ שְׁלוּפָה֙ בְּיָד֔וֹ” is used on three occasions in the 24 books of Torah. How this relates each occurrence is unknown, but several hints in the adjacent texts color each instance. The common theme relates an angel that was dispatched to draw its sword in response to each event. 

In Numbers 22:21 the verb used (וַתֵּ֤ט), veered Bilam's donkey off its path. In Joshua 5:13 the verb used ( וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ), inspired Joshua to approach the angel. In 1 Chronicles 21:16 the verb used (נְטוּיָ֖ה - source in Bilam's verb) directed the angel against Jerusalem, a potentially devastating outcome for residents of the ancient city. 

In context; Bilam was commanded not to curse the Jewish people, but to speak only words placed in his mouth. The angel first spoke through the donkey to its owner Bilam before it addressed him directly. Joshua's angelic encounter carried instruction to destroy the walled city of Jericho. But, David fell into a state of repentance, never interacted directly with the angel and received its instruction to build an altar through the prophet Gad.

Bilam, the greatest shaman was hired to curse, but was redirected to bless Israel and hoped his fate would be like theirs; Joshua, the first to lead the Jewish people into their land was inspired to destroy Jericho, which would only be rebuilt after the final messianic revelation; David, Israel's king was directed, through the prophet to build an altar that tradition suggests became the site of their future temple. 

The verb directing Bilam's and David's encounter, compared to Joshua suggests something is to be learned from the differential grammar in context of each use. This brings us to the mission of each angel; Bilam's angel appeared to the donkey, Joshua's exhibited holy affinity, David's elicited fear. 

Its troubling that Bilam and David's encounters are associated, let alone that both result in building and offering personal sacrifice on altars. Despite Bilam's commitment not to curse Israel, he built seven altars to misdirect and justify his mercenary pursuit. David was instructed to build and sacrifice on one altar to effect his atonement. But, he misdirected his altar to engage the fractured tribes, who were fearful of plague to regain their endorsement. Neither Bilam or David's instance rose to the qualitative distinction of the verb or context used for Joshua.

Commentators accept David's quick action because it temporarily unified the nation and his son constructed the first permanent temple. But one generation later, mercenary pursuit by his treasurer, son and grandson shattered the nations fragile unity. As a result the tribes of Israel, that Bilam was tempted to curse would not be fully reunified until Jericho will be rebuilt. 

 

    

 

 

Good god it was gad!

The annals of ancient civilizations demonstrate the influential power of stellar patterns used to predict good fortune and events that challenged early creation logic. Against ethereal alternatives the constellation logic of occultists, soothsayers and stargazers prevailed. Perhaps the seemingly abstract, often ambiguous and sometime falsified prophetic voice was not as consistent as the suns rising. Strong evidence of astrological cultures are found in archaeology of Mesopotamia and many other regions including in tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs that often tell of a soul journey to the stars and some that become stars. 

According to monotheism the Knower is the Knowledge and the Known, which contradicts that any intermediary, object or living god-figure could ever claim an independent role. Ancient civilizations that credited deities with independence defended the existence of pluralism. These conflicts underpinned the clash of cultures in the fertile crescent from modern Turkey through Egypt. 

Long memory is best preserved in ancient teachings and living, intact cultures that claim a communal continuum. The best long memories are maintained by cultures that posses a rich archaeology, history and anthropological synchronization in laws and customs still evident in the modern continuum.  

The oldest and most intact continuum with a written history, rich archaeology and anthropological synchronicity are the Israelite Hebrews diversely known as Jews. Descendants of Biblical Jacob, also known as Israel they prove a 3500 year continuum. At least this is validated through the paternal lineage of priests who descend from Jacob's son Levi and from whom today's high priestly sect continue to ascend. The continuum by this Levite sect is evident in general communal acceptance and validated in orthodox synagogue practices of modern Jewish people.

The Biblical and archaeological record illustrate the impact of these conflicting ideologies on the unity of the Jewish people. After King David conquered ancient Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, 2900 years ago he proceeded to unify Israel's disparate tribes and locate the altar around which a permanent temple could then be built. By law and intact tradition of its communal continuum the permanent altar had to be built where, 800 years earlier Jacob's father Isaac was bound by his father Abraham and offered as a sacrifice. As much as he tried, David could not locate it.

Then, a series of personal errors and political challenges challenged David's leadership and coincided with a nationwide pandemic. It caused him to repent following a vision of the angel of death standing a top Mount Moriah poised to destroy Jerusalem. Gad, his lower prophet advised David to build a personal altar on land at the foot of his angel of death vision and offer sacrifice to stay the pandemic. He appealed to Israel's tribal leaders to participate. They jointly purchased the 'angel of death' land from the local Jebusite king, then David built his altar and offered sacrifices.

The established written records of the Jewish continuum, that permit the above reconstruction describe a default communal shift that resolved continuum law and established the location where David's son Solomon built the altar and temple. There are no references tat confirm whether the default location agreed by the tribes also agreed with the continuum law that the altar be at the same site Isaac was bound. One generation after King Solomon, his son could not retain Israel's national unity, the nation split, the continuum was permanently altered and the majority turned to an alternative temple and worship.

The word gad in the written Biblical record occurs 67 times. 54 times refer to Jacob's son Gad, his tribe or their tribal land. It means 'good fortune' that originates from his naming at birth. On 13 other instances it relates to Gad the seer or lower prophet of King David. Only once the term was used to identify a god for good fortune and berate those who made 'good fortune' their independent god. 

Israel's Exodus and Egypt's Record Aligns!

The Amarna diplomatic letters exposed vassal relationships between field commanders, acting as local kings and Pharaoh their Egyptian ruler. Commanders of field garrisons, who defended Egyptian territories, sometimes expressed conflicting interests that often triggered a spate of letter writing. Victories, defeats or political turmoil weighed heavily on the writings.

The tablets appear to have been buried with Akhenaten at El Amarna, but they are not the originals, mostly made of clay from areas east of the Jordan River, they are deemed authentic copies. One such letter #254 titled "Neither Rebel nor Delinquent" by Labaya commander of the Samaria region, from Sakmu, the biblical city of Shechem exposed serious allegations against him for having surrendered land to the Habiru (see Deuteronomy 11:30 and Genesis 12:6).  This and the related letters further south at Uru-Salem, biblical Jerusalem discuss battles waged by the Habiru. 

Military correspondence from Canaan also known as Retenju 

Dating and sources of the Amarna letters are thought to span Egyptian Pharaoh's Amenhotep III, Akhenaten, through possibly Smenkhkare or Tutankhamun around 150 years. These Pharaoh's may have overlapped Biblical Hebrew or Israelite presence, enslavement in, exile from Egypt, early Canaanite wars and land resettlement. However, published chronologies have left much open to speculation, here we propose a resolution. The Labaya tablet #254 and others reference Pharaoh in his 32nd year of reign leaving only Amenhotep III who held power for 36-38 years during the Amarna period. According to the classic chronology Amenhotep III died in 1351 BCE.

The Bible describes Israel's 40 year sojourn, before it entered the land of Canaan and Joshua, the Israelite leader is said to have ruled 32 years after that. If there is a Biblical relationship to the Habiru, even if only some were Hebrew Israelite's raiding Canaan then letter #254 must have been written during the overlap of Amenhotep III and Joshua's 32 year reign, which according to the Biblical record ended in 1245 BCE. But, the 100 year gap between Amenhotep III and Joshua would need a resolution.

Prince Thutmose, the eldest son of Amenhotep III died in the third decade of his fathers reign. Stepping in, his younger brother Amenhotep IV (also known as Akhenaten) became the "strange" Pharaoh as depicted in uncharacteristically abstract art from his reign. From evidence at Amarna we know the mummified elite of Egypt had a poor state of health despite opposite representations reflected in artwork of the time. Amarna depicts how distance enabled diplomatic façade, appearance of control and power, yet reality was always different. For Akhenaten losing control of Retjenu (Canaan) may have been his diplomatic inheritance and artistic downfall.

From evidence toward the end of the 13th century BCE, Papyrus Anastasi III, Merneptah Stele (1203 BCE), Egyptian late bronze age temple at Jerusalem's École biblique and tombs north and north-west of Jerusalem's Mount Moriah we learn about a prolonged Egyptian commitment and interest in Canaan during the approximately 250 years of military activity from Amenhotep III to Merneptah. In addition to strategic and regional benefits, a long term commitment to Canaan may have been etched in the psyche of Egyptian leaders by Egypt's founder and first Pharaoh Khem. According to the Biblical record Khem (Biblical Ham) may have incestuously fathered Canaan. The place name Canaan is common in Egyptian and Biblical records.

This most tumultuous military period directly overlaps Israelite tribes who were displacing local Canaanite leaders and populations, long connected with Egypt, as they settled their indigenous land and entitlements east and west of the Jordan River. This re-settlement spanned a period of 300 years from Joshua until King David culminating the Israelite inheritance consistent with biblical teachings and tribal agreements.

In one letter, Adoni-Tzedek pleaded to convince Akhenaten to take the faster coastal route to rescue the dire situation in Jerusalem. And a letter, early in the reign of Akhenaten showed that the coast road was still open (pg278) when King Dusratta (Mitanni Empire) wrote to his son-in-law Akhenaten twenty years later, but no help appears to have been sent. If letter #254 describes the Biblical events that took place in 1273 BCE, at the beginning of Joshua's reign the Egyptian chronology, immediately prior to the Amarna period, would have to be revised forward by around ~100 years, which would be difficult for classical Egyptologists to digest. Joshua must then have overlapped Amenhotep III and Akhenaten, which if we wind back 40 years, would make Thutmose IV the prime candidate at the time of the Israelite Exodus led by Moses. 

Even though the lower Galilee was, for some few years subdued, under Philistia and Syria it was reconquered by Rameses II, whose battle relief also mentions "Shalem" (Jerusalem), but historians reveal that neither he or his garrisons ever entered the Judæan mountains that were impassable for chariots, their supreme weapon of war. Seemingly, Jerusalem had been abandoned by Rameses II as well.

The events placed in these time frames may help us to better understand events that pre-dated Moses when "Pithom and Rameses", Egyptian cities built by Israelite slaves, may have underwritten the economic and political impetus that promoted the "House of Rameses" to compete for and obtain the status of Pharaoh over all of Egypt. However, by the time Rameses I and II became Pharaoh's it was already the latter half of Israel's 300 year resettlement of Canaan as recorded in The Book of Judges.

Often overlooked is the earliest recorded use of the Hebrew language by Ever (great-grandson of Noah) preceding Biblical Abraham, whose father, Terach and extended families continued to live in Haran, northern Syria. They were also likely referred to as Habiru, but their various lineages were not Israelite. Regardless, the Habiru referred in the Amarna letters are almost certainly those Israelites who arrived from Egypt to conquer and re-settle Canaan.

 

Sword over Jerusalem!

To unify the nation King David had to identify the location of the national altar around which Israel’s temple would eventually be built. Without his selection no temple could be built and King David would be unable to fulfill his life mission. The King had to locate the altar, precisely at the place Isaac was offered as a sacrifice, by his father Abraham, and he had to do it with prophetic support. His search was futile, he turned to the advice of Prophet Samuel, his teachers, Do'eg, Achitofel and eventually the Prophet Gad.

Do'eg was a convert and serious Torah scholar, known to have ruthlessly consumed the intellects of his fellow students and teachers with his sharp commentary. His rivalry with the knowledge of Torah law that King David possessed revealed his jealous disposition. Paradoxically Do'eg tried to disqualify David from being King because David was born through the lineage of Ruth, a Moabite convert, which he alleged was forbidden by Torah law. The prevailing legal opinion, in David’s favor ruled the prohibition was limited to descendants of male Moabite converts only.

Do'eg also challenged David's struggle to determine the site of the future temple, lobbying for it be located in the high mountains south-west of ancient Jerusalem. David preferred it be at its precise location, in close proximity of the people of ancient Jerusalem. In his later years, King David ordered his general to make a census of the nation, it was not requested of him through a prophet by God, as was the law. After 9 months and 20 days Yoav, his general reluctantly delivered his count of males over 20 in Israel.

With an outstretched arm - Chronicles 21:6||Hagadah 

David reflected on the opposition and became remorseful. Retribution followed swiftly and Gad conveyed his prophecy to David as three choices by which to repent; seven years of famine or three months fleeing his enemies or 3 days of plague in the land. King David chose the latter. Immediately 70,000 people received their fate. On the second day, as the nation suffered the King witnessed a vision; the angel of death was standing on the threshing floor where Ornan - King of the Jebusites would separate wheat chaff in the wind. From there the angel stretched out its sword over Jerusalem (The ancient City of David). David immediately and deeply repented for his sins asking God’s forgiveness for the people. With David’s confession, Gad told David to purchase the threshing floor and to build an altar to God, through which he would be forgiven.

David purchased the threshing floor from the willing Jebusite King. He built the altar, made holy sacrifices to seek forgiveness for the sin of his ill fated census. In the process and the pandemonium the panic-struck tribal leaders unanimously accepted this altar as the beacon by which the future site of the first and second temples in Jerusalem would be determined.

Are we to rely on a vision, much less than a prophecy through the voice of an angel or on chance or hidden meaning that David's altar is in fact the site at which Isaac was bound? Was David opportunistic? There are no scholarly sources that confirm King David’s selection as Akeida. For the past 2840 years from the time King Solomon built the first temple and its altar, people have simply believed the site to be precisely the true Akeida. How is it that the most holy site for Jews is identified with the feet of the angel of death?

David struggled to find the site of the temple, for years he contended with Doeg over its location. Then he called on Achitofel to mitigate a threatened flood during construction of the Altar foundation. Did he not have a sign, an archaeological fingerprint, something to go on better than the feet of the angel of death and a prophecy of Gad to annul the plague that he caused? Did David know that the altar of Isaac was a prerequisite for the building of the Temple? David’s son Solomon built Jerusalem’s first temple based on the plans of his father. The missing ingredient in all this is the true location of the altar of Isaac's binding, which is the essential item according  Rambam and Halacha (Torah Law) for building a temple in Jerusalem. So where is it?

Intriguingly the sacrifice offered for a sin offering is the same as the new month (Rosh Chodesh). When David brought his sacrifice at the altar the first time, he repented for his sin, not that of the nation it was not a communal offering, but David's. Today, in the Rosh Chodesh prayer Jews the world over ask for a "New altar to be built in Zion", but when David first used the word "Zion" the angel of death's altar had not been identified and Solomon had not built the temple. So where is David's Zion the place we ask for a new altar to be built?

In numerous articles I have argued that the newly excavated Temple Zero complex above the Gihon, on the neck of the mountain, where sacrificial worship and ceremony is now known to have taken place, is in fact the site of the altar on which Isaac was bound. Notwithstanding popular opinion, this site is likely to be the original site of Salem, Luz, Beit-El, Zion and Jerusalem as such it ought to be more seriously considered as the primary site King David did not identify.

To understand the reasons why the King did not identify the site, we must be sensitive to a chronological series of events that presented him a great difficulty.

When King David and a small band of men first attacked and conquered the Jebusite city, now known as the City of David, its walls had been heavily fortified and constructed to prevent and protect its residents from attack and secure supply of water from the perennial Gihon Spring. Within and adjacent inner sections of the city walls, many homes had been built.

By the time David arrived, walls and the homes had been built on the foundation of bedrock over the site of Isaac’s altar, that had once been carved out of bedrock on the Upper Ridge. The earliest occupants worshiped on the small Upper Ridge on the east facing hillside. It is probable the first expansion of this site were by by Jacob and his sons when they returned from Shechem on their way to Hevron via the matzevah (monument) Jacob erected at the site of Akeida. This is also the place where Jacob experienced his famous dream in which the angels walked up and down the ladder or stairway between heaven and earth. It is also where he anointed his monument to God and formally took the name Israel.

When King David entered the city for the first time the location around the Gihon Spring became known as the Zion fortress and is referred to numerous times in the Bible. There is little doubt this is the physical location Tzion or Zion that David referred to. Whether or not King David knew of the existence of the Temple Zero complex is unknown, regardless its recent emergence for the first time in more than 3000 years and its identity today is remarkable. Will we be open minded enough to seriously question this future Temple site, or are we waiting for another disaster to inform us?