The Secret of the Seder's Fifteen Steps

The Hebrew calendar is unusual because Nisan is the first month, associated with Passover or Pesach the holiday of redemption. But, its opposite end, the seventh month, Tishrei is the Jewish new year including the holiday of Sukkot. Kabbalah teaches equal in opposites, so what about Sukkot can we learn about Pesach?

There is  teaching that the lower feminine waters (of the Gihon Spring) complained to God, “We too want to be close to You!” God consoled them, saying, “There will come a time when you, too, will be close, when your waters will be poured upon the altar during Sukkot, to celebrate.” At Sukkot the Levite priests sang spiritual songs that kept Jerusalem wide-eyed till dawn as they stood upon the “fifteen steps of descent from the Israelite courtyard to the women’s courtyard, that correspond to the fifteen ‘Songs of Ascents’ composed by King David.  But, the priests descended those fifteen steps?

Rav Chisda asked “a certain rabbi” why King David composed these fifteen Songs of Ascents to begin with. The rabbi replied that when King David began excavating the foundation of the Temple’s altar, the waters of the subterranean deep rushed upwards and threatened to engulf the world. Then, King David composed fifteen Songs of Ascents, and the depths safely subsided. If so, Rav Chisda protested, why are they not called Songs of Descent, to reflect the subsiding waters.

Replied the anonymous rabbi, this is what occurred: When the deep surged upwards, King David thought to inscribe God's Name on a piece of earthenware and cast it into the waters. His teacher, Achitofel, ruled it permissible reasoning; if according to Torah, for the sake of matrimonial harmony, God commands us to write His Name on parchment and to erase it by placing it into a container of water for an alleged unfaithful wife to drink and redeem herself, then it is certainly permissible for King David to cast the divine Name into the surging waters to bring peace to the entire world!

King David immediately wrote and cast The Name into the waters, which then subsided sixteen levels. Surprised, the King realized the earth’s irrigation would be reduced, so he voiced fifteen Songs of Ascents that brought the waters back up to a safe and desirable level.

In his commentary on the Talmud, Maharsha adds that the divine Name King David wrote was with the letters Yud-Hei, which equates the numerical value fifteen. The Name is associated with the final redemption of the Jewish people. The two priests who descended these steps on the way to draw the water on Sukkot would pause on the tenth step, to divide the steps in two parts, ten and five, corresponding to the Yud (ten) and Hei (five) respectively.

Maharal quotes the verse from Isaiah 26:4, “For in God (Yud-Hei) is the strength of the worlds.” Our sages stated that all creation comes into being via these two divine “letters,” Yud and Hei. These letters comprise “form” that comes from the Yud, and “matter” that comes from the Hei. These reflect the spiritual worlds united with the material.

This, then, is the Kabbalistic secret behind the fifteen Songs of Ascents corresponding to the Temple steps that directed people to the higher world, from the more material, “feminine” women’s courtyard, toward the more spiritual, “masculine” aspect, the Israelite courtyard and ultimately the exclusive domains of the high priests. When a redeemed Israel left the entrapment of Egypt (Mitzrayim) they first journeyed through the lowest waters, the bottom of Yam Suf meaning Reed or some say Sea at the End where they cast their souls, comprising God's name, into the waters and from where they ascended as a nation.

Each year Jews the world over renew the months that will follow by ascending through 15 steps of the Pesach seder (the Passover meal). They pause after the tenth step during which they re-enact eating the pascal lamb sacrifice that saved them from disaster. Then, they continue the last of five steps with the festive meal of the seder. From the digestion of the holy Pesach meal, they are infused and elevated. Six months later they descend 15 steps at Sukkot when they unite the Lulav (Palm) and Willow branches of the lower waters. At that time meals are eaten and elevation is by the encompassing Sukkah, the natural hut Jews live in during that week each year.

Christians adjust their calendar to tie Easter to Pesach and Jews dedicate the water festival of Sukkot for all the nations. We are living in the years considered to be the millennial hour, the time of transition, at the doorstep of Moshiach (Mesiah) and Israel's final redemption. The 15 steps of the Pesach seder compliment Sukkot’s 15 holy steps of the Temple. With the realization of this inner beauty, perhaps we will live a peace that is the Jewish dream. Then those who live and celebrate in Jerusalem will no longer need to utter the Seder's redundant concluding words "next year in Jerusalem"!

Searching for the Mizbeach (altar) of Akeidat Yitzchak (Isaac)

Ancient City of David 

There is good reason to believe the area on the high ridge above the Gihon Spring (at the City of David - Jerusalem) is Luz that Yaakov (Jacob) named Beit El. To support this I include links to my research, but it starts with an attack on the conventional view of Ay or Ai, the ancient city or location first associated with Avraham (Abraham).  I propose the Beit El and Ay of Avraham (Bereishit 12:6–8) conforms to the following map of Jerusalem's holy basin (click to enlarge it) and the book of Yehoshua (Joshua);

View north, Temple Mount left of center - click to enlarge

The completed thesis can be obtained here Jerusalem Origin - The Thesis

Looking South East toward Ay - circled in the background

The other, different location for Beit-el and Ay (north of Jerusalem), made popular at the time of King Yerovam ben Nabat (Jeroboam), was a ‘deception’, a duplicate of the familiar geographical names surrounding and preceding the first temple holy basin. Yerovam established these, continuing Micah's Beit el tradition (400 years prior), to heist the northern nation of Israel into believing his priests, temple and idols were a suitable substitute to Jerusalem's. You can read support for this cornerstone including its economic incentives here - http://israelfact.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/solving-riddle-of-beit-el-and-beit-el.html

Once the remnant of Yerovam’s confusion is removed we can focus on essential issues. These include; the geophysical flow of aquifer water from the high valley of Hevron (Hebron) to the low point of Yam Ha Melach (Dead Sea) via the ridge that terminates at Har (Mount) Moriah and the E’ven Ha Shtiya (Foundation Stone) under which the aquifer flows north, u-turns then flows east. [see the Geotechnical-Hydrogeological survey http://www.gsi.gov.il/Eng/_Uploads/163Geotechnical-Hydrogeological-Concern.pdf].

Eli Shukron - room with floor marking 

Now we can review the archaeological site above (west of) the Gihon and the area of Salem, the characteristics of which are highly unusual and detailed in the image below. The most notable of these features is the matzevah (monument or pillar), which has miraculously survived more than 3500 years and is yet to be officially announced. I challenge you or anyone else to find a similar object in any site in Israel – such a perfectly preserved item built onto bedrock and still standing does not exist.

High Ridge above Gihon Spring

Matzevah - Monument Genesis 28:22

My theory, which is described broadly here http://www.scribd.com/doc/120128721/Jerusalem-s-Origin explains this is the site of the matzevah Yaakov anointed (Bereishit 35:14-15). There are many midrashic references to this site including the source of the stones Yaakov used for the matzevah – the mizbeach of Akeida Yitzchak and these can be discovered in the more detailed paper here http://www.scribd.com/doc/76553825/The-Stone-the-Builders-Rejected.

Armed with this information we can progress to the decision David Ha’Melech (King David) made to locate the temple mizbeach (altar), that became the site for the first and second temples on the top of the hill (around the Dome of the Rock). Here you can read about the process he endured to navigate Jewish law and make that very difficult decision - http://israelfact.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/sword-over-jerusalem-sources-from.html. Whilst I don’t fully expose my view in this paper, I believe he prophesied about the final temple at the end of days and as a result made a conscious, albeit very difficult decision, to obfuscate the site of Akeida Yitzchak (the altar site) from nations of the future to protect the true site, which he knew about.

When you look into the sources relating the ‘neck’ to the site of the temple, we find they point directly to the site above the Gihon and the area of Salem - http://israelfact.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/neck-and-site-of-temple.html - also see http://israelfact.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/zion-and-israel-are-one.html

Finally I present the very detailed sources from which I draw the conclusion it is possible to have the third temple at this site without disrupting existing sites on the top of the mountain. http://israelfact.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/israel-and-nations-detailed-sources_18.html

They Never Told Jacob!

I am moved by the dark secret Israel's sons hid from him for 22 years. Yet, it became the final catalyst that healed their deepest wounds and forged brothers to unify into the fledgling, insurgent nation.

It began when Joseph was kidnapped by his brothers, thrown into a pit and traded to the Ishmaelites and Middianites passing on their trade route to Egypt. There he became the country's Viceroy and was permitted by Pharaoh to marry his niece, which set the stage for Israeli nationhood. Although capable of return, he stayed away from his father Jacob, refusing to go back and reveal the crime his brothers had perpetrated. Was he thinking Jacob conspired with them? Was providence sacrosanct, more essential to him than truth? Did he fear the embarrassment he may cause his brothers? Why did he not make contact with his beloved father for 22 years?

During the series of drought driven events that brought his brothers to seek food in Egypt, Joseph imprisoned his brother Shimeon. Then, he did the same to youngest brother Benjamin, which caused brother Yehuda to confess about the collective denial to their father, about their kidnapping Joseph. Joseph realized he had been complicit in the collective deception they portrayed to their father - for 22 years! Joseph immediately became emotional, crying on the neck of innocent Benjamin who was too young during the original travesty, but was now entrapped and stunningly enjoined by the brothers collective silence, their unspoken admission and this moment of realization.

All the brothers were now bonded by their darkest truth, to send their ageing father to his grave absent of their irreconcilable behavior. In this poignant moment Joseph realized deference to the indelible bond of Yehuda and Benjamin. The tears shed by Joseph, as explained by Rashi, were for his future role in the destruction's of the first and second temple, which would occur in Benjamin and Yehuda's territory. Benjamin shed tears over the destruction of the tabernacle (Mishkan) that preceded the temples. This distortion of truth by Israel's progeny sufficiently powerful to cause great destruction and devastation.

Twenty two years later, as he lay on his deathbed, the gurgling abyss of their collective denial continued to bother Jacob. It prompted the brothers most famous rhetorical to their concerned dying father when they said to him "Hear O' Israel, The Lord is God The Lord is One!" Immediately, whilst wallowing in the concealment he (Jacob) responded; "Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever". Finally Jacob could rest in the knowledge their complicit union, despite its dubious origin, would project to the end of history,  in line with Jacob's Utopian vision, that his nation Israel would ultimately be united in the truth of Jacob's House of God (Beit El) because no other edifice would ever stand the test of time.

And after they buried Jacob, the brothers retorted, selfishly asking, how will Viceroy Joseph get his retribution on us? Finally, Joseph's greatness was revealed through his forgiveness, anchoring the honor of Israel's desired union, respecting his fathers memory and establishing a trajectory toward Israel's essential truth at the end of time.

The world lives with this twisted history that probably still turns Jacob in his grave. The sacrifice of truth continues to cause Rachel to lament for her children, entrapped and exiled by distortion. And today, as more Jews return from exile, they perpetuate the paradox when from their homes in the confines of the holy city, each Passover they utter the words - "Next year in Jerusalem!" Until Israel's unrealized Utopian vision is complete the insurgent struggle of this nation continues.

Joseph and the United Nations

Reuven's brothers openly expressed their intent to murder their brother Joseph. Guilt ridden, Reuven ran to repent at the side of his father. He had once disrupted the conjugal rights of his mother Leah, which prevented the conception of Jacob's 14^th child, the one who would have replaced Joseph had his brothers carried out their threat. While paralyzed Reuven was praying, Yehuda convinced his brothers to sell Joseph to slave traders instead. Ishmaelite traders traveling toward them were carrying ‘sweet spices’ among their wares. But, first Midyanites bought Joseph and traded him with the Ishmaelites on their passage to Egypt where he and the 'sweet spices' were sold into the House of Potifar, Pharaoh's high priest and the chief of butchers. What were these ‘sweet spices’?

Years earlier, Jacob's 20 year servitude to his father in-law in Haran was over and he left with his family and entourage. Along the way he hid his only daughter Dinah from an encounter that may have exposed him to marry her to his estranged brother Esau. Jacob was first intent on reaching Beit El, the place he had erected a monument (matzevah) as a covenant to build a House of  God, but was delayed when Prince Shechem raped Dinah who bore Oesnat, the product of her rape. As a result Joseph's brothers Shimeon and Levi massacred 24000 men of Shechem. 

On finally reaching Beit El, Jacob and his 11 sons built walls in Shalem (Jerusalem) on the high ridge above the Gihon Spring, but their effort was interrupted by the death of nurse Devorah, his mother Rivkah and the his wife Rachel as she gave birth to his 12th and final son Binyamin. After returning to Hevron, the brothers wanted to kill Oesnat to eradicate the painful memory, but Jacob insisted they don't. Instead Jacob placed Oesnat in a sneh (bush) in Midyan where she was cared for by the high priest and from where a midrashic source tells us she was miraculously transported to the House of Potifar in Egypt. After staying in Hevron, the home of Jacob's father, they eventually settled around Shechem where he had left his cattle and possessions and from where the string of tragedy continued. 

Reuven had lost his birthright because of his interference in his father's affairs and Shimeon and Levi (the second and third sons) for their rebellion in Shechem; it fell to Yehuda the fourth son. The Biblical account of Joseph is interrupted by Yehuda’s encounter with Tamar because the ‘sweet spices’ allude to Oesnat. It turns out she was carried on the same caravan that collected and transported Joseph to Egypt. Many years after they arrived in Egypt, Pharaoh gave permission for Oesnat (of the House of Leah) to marry Joseph (of the House of Rachel). The marriage united both houses into the united tribes of Israel's (Jacob's) wives. From the marriage of Joseph and Oesnat the penultimate messianic root was born, the 'son of Joseph' preceded by the ultimate root, the 'son of David' from the marriage of Yehuda and Tamar. 

Now we can understand why the section of Vayeishev in which Joseph and Oesnat are unified on their carriage to the House of Potifar in Egypt, is juxtaposed with the story of Yehuda and Tamar. Because, through the latter marriage comes the re-incarnate messianic root of Moshiach (Messiah) son of David. It’s from this point where the nation of Israel is ultimately unified to lead the world. Because of the marriage of Oesnat (the house of Leah) to Joseph (the house of Rachel) Jacob finally regained his happiness - and he lived! At this point he knew his descendants would eventually return from their exile, unified to fulfill his covenant to build the final and permanent Beit El, House of God, The Temple.

Jerusalem's Origin

One of my all time favorite pursuits is the discovery of archaeology that I expect will scientifically validate the high ridge above the Gihon Spring in Jerusalem as the location of the earliest Biblical Beit El, which was Luz, also referred to in Kabbalah as Be'er Sheva. Before we get into the proof you should familiarize yourself with the diagram bellow. It illustrates four primary chambers which were carved into bedrock (the walls are remaining bedrock with spaces hollowed out). The complex on the Upper Ridge of the Gihon Spring served worshipers on or around the ridge ~4000-3000 years ago.

וְהָאֶ֣בֶן הַזֹּ֗את אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֙מְתִּי֙ מַצֵּבָ֔ה יִהְיֶ֖ה בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֑ים - This stone which I have set will be the house of God          Genesis 28:22 -  The Upper Ridge

Rendition of the Upper Ridge - a sanctuary for worship

The importance of scientific proof presents a departure from conventional wisdom, which may trigger a re-think by Torah scholars because scientific proof that this is Beit El would challenge everything scholars expect about the location of the 3rd temple. In addition it would cause a re-study as to why the first and second temples were built at locations associated with their ultimate destruction.

There are many unique features of this complex, arguably the most striking (for now) is the discovery of a flimsy (~3cm thick slab) matzevah, monument or headstone (but not a grave marker) constructed on the bedrock in a square frame of rocks. Somehow this vital artifact survived thousands of years whilst everything else around in the City of David, where it is located, was burned and destroyed down to the bedrock leaving only small clay artifacts as tell tale clues. (See 2nd chamber from the south - left). Further, how this stone remains physically erect or connected to the bedrock remains a mystery that archaeologists have not yet determined.

The Matzevah of the Upper Ridge

Its worth noting (at least to my knowledge) that a similar standing matzevah built into bedrock in a frame has never been discovered at any other archaeological dig in Israel. Why this artifact survived may be crucial to the theory of this complex. I've written numerous articles on the subject some of which can be discovered here or in the more detailed thesis of Jerusalem's Origin. In essence, the location and complex are sacred and the most likely inspiration for its construction, but its connection to the Bible and to the origin of the nation Israel is crucial and in my opinion its about to be proven by archaeological science.

In the Biblical narrative, Jacob took 12 stones from this altar and placed them around him during the night. The stones converged to become one, and that one stone became the matzevah, which I believe is located in the chamber illustrated above. In accordance with Jewish literature the matzevah should be adjacent to the mizbeach (altar) on which Isaac was offered as a sacrifice to God by his father Abraham (see the chamber to the right for possible identification). According to all opinions the altar of Isaac is the location by which the Holy of Holy's must be designated around which the Temple is built.

Kabbalah describes the south east corner of the altar on land belonging to the tribe of Yehuda as it points into and penetrates the land of the tribe of Binyamin on which most of the temple is built. In the illustration above you can see that the wall, constructed by King Hezekiah crosses, what may be the altar (table), on the line that divided the tribal land of Yehuda and Binyamin exposing the south east (front left) corner immediately in front of the wall.

I believe Jacob and his son's built the first walls to fulfill Jacobs promise to build a house of God (Genesis 28:22) and to protect the sanctity of this sacred site. After they were exiled to Egypt, the site and the land was overwhelmed by the families of Egypts pharaoh whose direct lineage to Ham, Noah's son, included Kanaan his grandson. This occupation was in familial competition with the descendants of Noah's other son Shem (Malchitzedek) who originally used the site as a place for worship and who named it Shalem after which the city Jerusalem was named. During a period of several hundred years whilst Jacob's family in exile grew to become the nation of Israel in Egypt, this sacred site was constructed upon and buried adjacent to and under buildings including the water tower that covered the Gihon.

Of course none of this is a scientific proof, we will have to wait for that, but there are already important archaeological proofs that this site is connected with the King of Bethlehem, which is King David's birthplace. Its quite probable the site was redeveloped by King David during his reign to house the Holy of Holies that was captured in Shilo by the Philistines. Later King Hezekiah who blocked the waters of the Gihon and who constructed the foundations of a city wall that penetrated the ground at this site may have uncovered this previously buried complex. Its recent re-discovery revealed that soft earth had been packed to purposely preserve the entire site.

Patiently I wait to discover more.

Sharon's Prophecy

During the past US presidential election, President Barak Obama chose Egypt as his first foreign destination and Governor Romney made his election promise to first visit Israel. There could not have been a more starkly defined difference between the prophetic views of these two leaders. Obama believing he possessed the capacity to alter facts on the ground by redefining the Islamic ideal and Romney believing Israel represents the ideal.

In a previous article I emphasized the present day cold war that is masked by the Arab Spring and implored readers not to be fooled by Russia’s role in Syria, Iran or their historical engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan. It struck me that a result of the economic competition between the Soviet Union and the Allied forces at the end of the Second World War was the wall that divided Berlin and Germany for more than 40 years. It also became apparent that the German wall enabled a cultural and political divide that may bear some relationship to the wall built by Israel’s previous Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

For many years I have questioned why Sharon, despite all of his policy statements and political ambitions unanimously reversed everything he apparently stood for to build the wall that today divides Israel and Jerusalem. Was it security, demographics, immigration? I asked these questions over and over again sometimes of his closest advisers. I tried on many occasions to discover the justifications for his action including his resolve as Prime Minister to walk on the Temple Mount in a declaration of Jewish sovereignty over the sacred site. Recently, whilst considering Russia’s role in the Syrian conflict, I found an answer that may just have motivated him to act so boldly and it may have a bearing on Obama, the 44th President.

Notwithstanding Israel’s direct efforts to dispel Iran, Russia’s recent $4bn arms deal with Iraq is indicative of shifting alignments endorsed by the USA to share trading benefits to deter Russian insistence on continuing Syrian and Iranian trade. In return its likely the Russians have agreed to reduce their support to those countries - a fact that may become apparent and pivotal in months to come.

Thinking through the Sharon era, I am increasingly convinced he considered that Russian economic pursuit would fuel Middle East geopolitics including by their using Israel as a scapegoat for improving Russian arms trade. The pent up Muslim fervor orchestrated around the Palestinian issue that fueled Israel’s second intifada and that which inspired and followed 9/11, provoked President Bush to alter the balance of power in the region. Since settlement of such a war would require declaration of land and economic rights for the prevailing parties, its possible "Sharon’s wall", built in advance of the encroaching cold war, would declare Israels future concession before serious conflict arose. Thus, it would take the wind out of the Islamic insurgency's sails.

In actual fact, Sharon’s wall may eventually lead to conditions for unification of Israel and Jerusalem in much the same way East and West German constituents demanded of Reagan and Gorbachev. The 45th President of the USA is likely to preside at a time when future conditions for lasting peace truly emerge. There is an ancient Jewish prophecy and teaching that the 45th King of Edom, considered to be the leader over the people of the USA, will inaugurate over the final process of Jewish redemption. This heralds a time of great hope and lasting prosperity in the world. We hope and pray!

See my most recent article - Israel's Forthcoming Miracle!

Solving the Riddle of Beit-El and Beit-el - Part 2.

At Pesach I wrote an article  explaining the Haftorah of the second day hints at important aspects that could help to locate Beit El, which relates to the final redemption of the Jewish people. The haftorah of last day Sukkot outside of Israel, in many ways the mirror of Pesach in the Jewish Calendar, tells the story of Joshua leading Israel’s return to redeem their land.

Motivated by the deepest convictions, the nation, Israel after enduring 250 years of exile were finally returning. The first alien city encountered, once the nation crossed the Jordan River into the defined borders of its land, was Jericho, which as commanded by God was to be destroyed entirely. Its the second city of Ay (Ai) that Israel was commanded to attack that presents a particular interest to the theory proposed.

As described in the image above, (1) under the cover of darkness Joshua led an army of 30,000 men up the Judean mountains to (2) a camp below, or south of the then Canaanite city home to Beit El. Before daybreak, Joshua moved 25,000 through the valley between Beit El and Ai (today known as the Kidron Valley), where (5) a rear guard ambush party of 5000 troops remained, whilst the balance (3) climbed to the top of the hill (to the north - today known as Mount of Olives) across the valley that separated them from the city of Ai. At daybreak Joshua crossed the valley to taunt the guards and residents of the city, who on a previous occasion had successfully chased Joshua’s, much smaller, first invading party. The gates of the city were open and a similar pursuit soon began, only this time Joshua planned it to be a trap. By the time the army of Ai and Beit El had chased (6) Israel some distance, the ambush party (5) came up the rear attacking the city and setting it alight. Once the pursuers of Ai saw and realized their city was burning, they retreated and in their retreat, Joshua turned his retreating troops on them. In a pincer movement they were trapped between Israel’s main army and Israel’s rear guard ambush troop. The people of Ai were defeated and the city destroyed.

Looking South East toward Ai circled in the background

The suggestion here is a significant departure from the confusion brought by King Yerovam, which has plagued the Jewish people for thousands of years. An adoption of this theory would require a reconsideration of many previous interpretations. Centering the source of Israel’s holy connection to the location at the correct Beit El at the Canaanite city that became the City of David has been a long time coming.

Israel and the nations - the detailed sources

Drawing on the sources identified in this paper I conclude; Israel’s relationships with the nations has particular relevance to Islam since it is the only mainstream religion that conforms to Torah’s universal laws as evidenced by the fact Halacha (Jewish law) permits a Jew to enter and pray in a mosque.

Parshat Yitro deals with the mystical and psychological relationship between the source of the minds Insight and Wisdom and its reflection from the attribute of Understanding[1] as it relates to the re-incarnation of Cain in Yitro and Abel in Moshe. The Zohar quotes; Yitro and her (Moshes wife) two sons came to Moshe and Moshe went out to meet him. To explain Rabbi Shimon quotes Isaiah 2:3 “ Many people will go and say ‘Come let us go up to the mountain[2] of HaShem, to the house of the God of Jacob, He will teach us His ways and we will walk in His paths.’ For Zion will come from Torah and the word of HaShem from Jerusalem”.

The Zohar goes on to explain “To the house[3]” – Jacob, who called this place “house”. “Mountain and house” – although all is a single rung [70a] one transcends the other[4]. “Mountain” – for other nations, when they come to enter under Her wings, “House” – for Israel, to be with them as a wife with her husband in one dwelling, in joy, crouching over them like a mother over her children. “…Moses father-in-law, and his sons and his wife came to Moses to the wilderness…”[5]. Since it is written “to Moses to the wilderness” the Zohar explains it to be the “Mountain of Elokim” – a place for converts to convert and whoever comes and attains it and is called “ger tzedeq”[6].

Rashi derives from the phrase “he encountered” that Yaakov prayed at the site of the Beis Hamikdash, and instituted the maariv prayer. There is a Midrash that cites the verse “Give praise to the Lord our strength; blow a teruah to the G-d of Yaakov”[7]. This Midrash asks why Yaakov is singled out here, and answers with a parable. Once a king had three friends to whom he showed a site where he intended to build a palace. The first looked and said, “You mean on that hill,” and the king left him. The second said, “You mean in that field,” and the king also left him. The third friend looked and said, “There’s going to be a palace over there.” The Midrash says that Avraham called the Beis Hamikdash a mountain, Yitzchak called it a field and Yaakov, on the other hand, called it a house, as when he awoke he declared, “this is none other than the House of Hashem.” The Midrash then relates that Hashem said that because Yaakov called it a house even before it was built, it would be called by his name.[8][9]

The Midrash Rabba quotes Rebbi Elazar in the name of Rebbi Yossi Ben Zimri who suggests that the ladder of Yaakov’s dream was rooted in Be’er Sheva, stretched to Beit E-l and had its center at Jerusalem. (Midrash Rabba Bereishit 69:7). The “house” Jacob speaks of is associated with Luz and Beit El, the location of Jacob’s dream, the monument he anointed to God (matzevah), the place Isaac was offered as a sacrifice, the mountain of God identified by Abraham and the field in which Isaac prayed.

Avraham always believed that Avraham and Hagar’s son Yishma'el would be included among the Chosen People. We find signs of this in many places. When Sarah suggested exiling Yishmael and Hagar, "It was very bad in Avraham's eyes, because of his son"[10]. It required a direct mandate from God to force Avraham to send Yishmael away. A more poignant proof is the Midrash cited by Rashi[11] regarding God's command to Avraham to sacrifice Yitzchak.[12]

When did Abraham have a son from Sarah? When he prayed on behalf of Abimelech[13]" [14]

Hagar, also “ha ger” translated “the convert” and Sarah’s concubine with whom Abraham had Ishmael, praises the Seeing God for recognizing her and showing her how to be humble[15]. The term used is אָֽמְרָ֗ה – [a]M[e]Ra[h] the meaning of which is drawn from its 15 occurrences in the Torah. It comes from a primitive word root that can mean answer, appoint, avouch, boast about self, call, declare, challenge, certify or command and it could reflect truth or untruth. In context the occurrence reflects Sarai’s encounter with Hagar, Avraham’s encounter with Avimelech over Sarah[16], Rivkah’s advice preempting Yaakov to take the first blessing of Yitzchak[17], Leah’s birth of Reuven[18], Tziporah’s action to save Moshe’s life[19], Hannah, Elkana and the birth of Shmuel[20] and Elisha’s miracle breaking the drought in Shomron[21]. In addition in Proverbs[22] - Wisdom, understating and evil[23], Kohellos[24] - Shlomo seeking one man’s wisdom, Lamentations[25] - faith and plea for help, Yechezkel[26] - the pleasure businessmen of Tyre obtained on hearing the temple was destroyed, Hoshea[27] - on illicit relationships and childbirth and punishment for harlotry and ultimately its relationship to Peace[28].

The present dynamic of Israel to the nations of the world is like The Temple Mount compared to the neck of the Mount Moriah on which the Temple Mount it is located – in the daily recitation of blessings before Sh’ma – “…break the yolk of nations from our neck and speedily lead us upright to our land” refers to the trappings of Israel’s exiled state and the last request made before entering the higher mind states designated for the Sh’ma and Shmoneh Esrei (Amidah) prayers. The future dynamic of Israel to the nations of the world is the Temple compared to its location on the neck of Mount Moriah.

The mystery of Parshat Yitro alludes to the higher order of Wisdom’s reflection from Understanding and the negation of ego to correctly interpret and benefit from it. Its inner meaning is alluded to in the twin girls born with Abel and the twin girl born with Cain, where Abel gazed on the (reflected) image of the Divine presence and for this he received death.

If Israel interprets the reflection of its wisdom in the manner of Yaakov’s middle line of Tifferet, it will learn that the neck is the designated place through which the correct vision of the head can pass and when this occurs the yoke of nations will be removed once and for all.

[1] Yitro - Apples from the Orchard Rabbi Wisnefsky on The ARI and Rabbi Vital
[2] Zohar [Matt] Yitro pg:388 mountain of H” - Avraham
[3] Zohar [Matt] Yitro pg:388 house Jacob – on the identification of the sire of Jacob’s dream as the Temple.
[4] Zohar [Matt] Yitro pg:388 Mountain and house…”both allude to Shekinah mountain alludes to accessibility whilst house alludes to intimacy and She welcomes converts under Her wings…
[5] Exodus 18:5
[6] Zohar [Matt] Yitro pg:389 that place – accessible - such a person is linked with Shekinah
[7] Tehillim 81:2
[8] http://www.northhendon.co.uk/sedra/pages/5764/vayeitzei5764.pdf
[9] http://www.parsha.net/pdf/Bereishis/Vayeitze59.pdf
[10] Bereishit 21:11
[11] Bereishit 22:2, based on Bereishit Rabba 55:7
[12] http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/sichot/bereishit/07-60vayetz.htm
[13] Bereishit 20:18
[14] Pesikta Rabbati 39
[15] Genesis 16:13
[16] Genesis 20:5 and 21:16
[17] Genesis 27:6
[18] Genesis 29:32
[19] Exodus 4:26
[20] 1 Samuel 1:22
[21] 2 Kings 6:28
[22] Proverbs 9:4
[23] Proverbs 30:16
[24] Ecclesiastes 7:27
[25] Lamentations 3:24
[26] Ezekiel 26:2
[27] Hosea 2:5
[28] Hosea 2:12

Overt and covert - you can’t make this stuff up!

At the recent attack on the US embassy in Yemen they chanted "O Jews, Khyber, Khyber. The army of Muhammad will return!” President Obama, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton compared to President Bush, Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice could not be more contrasted. Overt leaders are scrutinized according to their more public declarations. Covert leaders perceive their private declarations shield them. However, the death of American Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens expresses the disdain this lawless war has for overt and covert leaders of the American administration. The nature of this war is better reflected in the agreements Al Qaeda negotiated to launch their operations in the mountainous regions through which the Khyber pass links Afghanistan and Pakistan. Here the Pashtun people and their Taliban student fighters mount their continuing attacks; loyal only to those who provide their present temporal relief.

Climbing out of a bear pit with the bear may be easier than taming the beast outraged over social condition, legal imposition and moral composition. The insurgencies to which we subscribe are fuelled by ideological benefactors intent to prevail over tribal culture and the American administration is complicit. In 630 CE Prophet Muhammad’s army defeated the Jews fortressed in the Khyber pass. The battle paved the way for the conquest of Mecca and the establishment of Islam. After the Prophet’s death, Caliph Omar marched on Jerusalem where Akiva, a Jewish convert to Islam, advised the location of the destroyed Jewish Temples where Omar built his shrine. The shrine was erected over the place of the Holy of Holies and a subsequently built church and exists today as the Dome of the Rock on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

While Obama bows to Saudi Kings and the Bush family court their wealth, Sunni and Shiite blood flows in streets where ideology and culture clash, yet successive administrations have failed to recognize the importance of symbolic ‘game changing’ cues. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s latest demand for ‘red lines’ exposes the pathetic state of diplomacy in a modern world where enemies hide amongst friends to spit in the face of ideologists intent on dominating culture. When insurgency matters and life is cheap there is no end to the enemy! Complexity is rife and no more so than in the Jewish roots of the staunch Pashtun people, the symbolism of Caliph Omar’s shrine on the Temple Mount or the Saudi Kings Sunni reign over Mecca, Islam’s holiest site. Red lines are an absolute necessity in the face of such ambiguity especially when Shiite Iran is intent to prevail over Sunni Arabs including by proving their usefulness against Israel. No amount of coaxing, befriending, wheeling or dealing will contain the pent up anger and resentment that targets opposing ideology.

Covert operations of the Obama Administration intended to deliver planned results often play into the hands of cultural regimes that respond unexpectedly to make their insurgent views known. Such insurgency is the nature of modern terror, any opposition to it must be founded in unwavering support of suitable counter culture, yet American presidents repeatedly fail to recognize the importance of Israeli symbolism to American cultural survival. How much begging and pleading does Mr. Netanyahu need to offer to make the point? Not only are red lines on Iran important, red lines on pretty much everything else are equally important. Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Yemen, Libya, Europe, Russia and China you name it, every one of these countries must understand that America means business and Israel is its chosen example over anything else in the region. For those who have visited Israel, its more than 40% Muslim population is a microcosm of a future Germany, Italy, France, England and America, a future with rapidly expanding Islamic constituents. Are these countries going to function as judiciously and how will their cultures and cultural icons be preserved?

Preservation of cultural identity is the color of our modern world. We must retain the freedoms necessary to respect and regard that which best serves each regions constituent cultures allowing those cultures to flourish. Notwithstanding counter insurgencies, established cultures cannot withstand long term ideological imposition to behave covertly. The Meranos of Spain and Portugal who were persecuted to convert to Christianity during the Spanish Inquisition still light candles in their kitchen cupboards before the Jewish Sabbath without knowing why they do it. Its time for overt leadership to ensure the red lines are drawn and widely publicized so that the preservation of our rich human heritage can prevail and if President Obama doesn’t understand that, Prime Minister Netanyahu has an obligation to expose his weakness.

Three Festivals!

Rabbi Menachem Leibtag explains, that Torah narrates the story of Jacob out of its chronological sequence. He teaches that Jacob and his family had met his brother Esau with his army on the way back to Jacob’s parents traditional home in Hevron. If we accept the sequence of events as they are told in the Torah, which leaves the reader with the impression Jacob first lived in Shechem (in the north), we must struggle to explain why Jacob did not immediately proceed to Beit-El to fulfill his vow and then to Hevron to reunite with his parents.

Torah tells us that Jacob made shelters for his livestock in Sukkot, a word that means ‘temporary dwellings’ and could express a place known for gatherings of people who lived in tents. Much confusion exists about the timing of Jacob and his family’s arrival in Sukkot, however Rabbi Leibtag goes to great length to bring all the sources that support his chronological correction.

A reordering of the events would therefore be;

1. Jacob and family leave Haran (home of his father-in-law) in the north
2. Jacob encounters Esau at the Yabbok river
3. Jacob moves south passing through Shechem on his way to Sukkot
4. Jacob anoints the matzevah, builds a mizbeach (altar) at Sukkot the place he originally named Beit-El that was Luz
5. Jacob moves south to his parents home in Hevron
6. Rachel dies on the way during Benjamin’s childbirth at Bethlehem
7. Jacob arrives in Hevron
8. Jacob moves to Shechem
9. Dina is raped by Shechem
10. Shimeon and Levi slaughter the male residents of Shechem
11. Joseph is sold into slavery
12. Isaac dies in Hevron

The order suggests Sukkot is located on the route of Jacob’s travel between Haran and Hevron. Shalem, the holy place of high priest Malchitzedek or Shem was located in the middle of this route in modern day Jerusalem. It was also the likely site Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice.

The Torah phrase ‘Shalosh Regalim’ is used to describe the beating by Bilam of his donkey in his attempt to curse Israel and the same phrase is used for the three pilgrimage festivals. Pesah corresponds to Abraham, who hosted the three angels in his tent on Pesah, on the same day he discovered the water aquifer in the cave of Machpelah connecting Hevron to Shalem. On Shavuot, when Israel received the Torah at Mount Sinai a Shofar was sounded, the Shofar was the horn of the ram that Abraham offered in place of Isaac, thus establishing a connection between Shavuot and Isaac. When Jacob returned to the Land of Israel from exile he built a house and booths for his cattle, the place became known as “Sukkot” , thus the holiday of Sukkot corresponds with Jacob.

Bilam’s prophecy describes a messianic future where the world ascends to Jerusalem during these festivals. The water source, the sacrifice of Isaac and Sukkot are one location where sacrifices for these three festivals are offered.
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The convincing evidence being discovered in the City of David reveals that the site of Jacob’s focus has been discovered and is presently being excavated. The image above describes the present discoveries including the matzevah or monument and provides an indication of the booths Jacob may have constructed in the bedrock for his animals.


The matzevah which can be seen in the second booth from the left was erected by Jacob on his exit from Israel and anointed by him ~21 years later on his return to Israel. The monument, around 45cm wide, 30 cm high stands erect in an elevated frame sitting ~6 cm above the bedrock.

No artifact like it has been discovered anywhere in Israel in a location that is also directly associated with artifacts of worship.

The evidence in the three festivals hints directly at the place Jacob memorialized his entry and exit point from Israel, Pesah marks Abrahams discovery of living waters that flow to the Gihon Spring, Shavuot marks the sacrificial place of Isaac at the living waters of the Gihon Spring and Sukkot is the festival of living waters originating at the Gihon Spring.

These holy days are thought to be a correction for the Israel’s sin of the golden calf that caused Moses to break the first set of tablets on which the Ten Statements were transcribed. That event took place on the Hebrew date 17th Tammuz, which is also the date the walls of Jerusalem were breached and the day temple services officially stopped. Those services cannot be restarted until the location at which Isaac was offered as a sacrifice is re-discovered.