Hamas War

Thursday, January 29, 2009

I Have So Much To Learn

I have been taking a TaNaCh, Bible course in Matan. We have two lectures per month about Biblical Characters, their times, events, locations etc and then we go on a tour related to that topic.

The first month was easy for me, since it was about Shmuel, Samuel, and Shiloh, where I live. That's just about the only part of the Bible I have any sort of real expertise. The only other characters in the Bible, besides those in the Chumash, the first five books, I know something about are King Saul, King David, Ruth, Naomi and Ester. They haven't been our topics at all.

I could take this course another few times until the facts begin sticking to my brain.

This past month we studied Yeshayahu, Isaiah. I'm going to have to find a basic course, since in terms of Biblical, historical context, I was lost. I remember feeling something very similar when I first started studying the Bible. I'd explain it as a giant gigsaw puzzle, having trouble finding peices that fit together. At least when I studied here in Shiloh with Rabbi Nissan Ben Avraham, we began went in order. We just didn't finish.

For that reason I will just post the pictures, limiting the explations to Ramat Rachel, Ir David and the "Tayelet." All are in Jerusalem. If you have more information, please add it in the comments. Thank you. (bloggers spellcheck is off, so please let me know of any typos. Thanks, again.)

Ramat Rachel


Ramat Rachel, Jerusalem

Look-Out, Ramat Rachel, Jerusalem

Ramat Rachel, Jerusalem

Ramat Rachel, Jerusalem


Ir David

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The Tayelet

At the Tayelet, Jerusalem

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

A little something people should be aware about regarding Ramat Rachel.

Appropriate with today's newsletter by Ellen. :)

We know plenty of people who canceled their plans at Ramat Rachel when they found this out. Others who found out after their event will not return.

They are not the only place. This is spreading around.

About the name "Ramat Rachel", it seems to come from the famous pasuk "Kol b'Ramah Nishmah, Rachel me'vakah al baneha" (Yirmiyahu 31:14).

Note that Shmuel lived in Ramah. In north Jerusalem, there is an Arab neighborhood named Ar-Ram, just north of Neve Ya'akov. Someone once told me that it might be named after Ramah but I don't recall if that works out historically as the place of Shmuel's Ramah.

Batya said...

Hi shy,
Actually, when we had the tour to Nebi Samuel and Shiloh, the tour guide discussed it. Beit Lechem doesn't fit the geographical description in the Bible. It does make more sense that it's closer to Adam or Shaar Binyamin.
And about the missionaries and ban of Ramat Rachel. I don't think the issue has gotten much publicity. We've been to quite a few weddngs there, of people who would care.