School started this week. The fall semester begins after Sukkot + one more week thrown in just for fun. Because of adjustments in my schedule I decided to join Sid at Pardes, which is an open Orthodox seminary. Sid is taking 2 classes on Tuesdays - 70 years of Israel: Halachic Challenges of Statehood taught by Rabbi Shai Finkelstein and Radical Responsibility: Thought and Writings of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks taught by Dr Daniel Rose. I am taking The Book of Ezekiel: Ecstacy, Horror, Exile and Rebirth taught by Rabbi Alex Israel. On Thursdays we are both taking 10 Great Jewish Disputes: From Korach to Women of the Wall taught by Peta Pellach. Yes, they love :s.
I have to admit, I'm very spoiled by the caliber of the teachers at my Monday women's class. Maybe it's not fair to use that as a yardstick, but I will anyway. And I have to say the teachers at Pardes measured up. I look forward to a rewarding semester.
A friend of mine expressed surprise when I told him we are attending classes. You're going to school? Yes, that's what we do when we're here. The greatest collection of Jewish thinkers in history is to be found here. The opportunities for learning are everywhere, and it gives both of us a great deal of satisfaction to be able to absorb a tiny bit of that knowledge.
Learning also takes place outside of the four walls of the classroom. I went on an amazing tiyul (tour) last week. The guide was Rabbi Kapach, of the famous Yeminite rabbinic family. We spent the day in the Ayalon Valley, where G-d made the sun stand still.
Rabbi Kapach, who looks more like Indiana Jones than the scion of a scholarly Yeminite family.
Something I find compelling is when archaeology confirms the Tanach. The first stop on our tour was at a place called The Rocks of the Five Kings. The story of the battle in Ayalon Valley is in the Book of Joshua (look it up). For the purpose of explaining the importance of the site we visited, the Cliff Notes version is that Joshua and the Israelites ran into some opposition when they entered the Promised Land. They needed just a bit more daylight in order to finish the battle, which is the sun standing still part. The rocks part takes place just before, when large stones fell from the sky like hail and killed many of the enemy. In modern military terminology this would be the artillery softening up the opposing army before sending in the infantry. The site itself looks like the Biblical description - a hill strewn with very large rocks that appear to have been dropped from above. What makes it interesting is that the rocks don't belong there. The area is limestone, which is sedimentary. The rocks are granite, which is igneous and not native to that particular area. I'm not saying that rocks literally dropped out of the sky, but it does confirm the location of this very famous battle.
The Rocks. In the background you can see a limestone ridge on the top of an adjacent hill.
The Valley is about 20 minutes from Jerusalem. It's a wine growing region. In fact, there's some historical evidence that the Chardonnay grape, native to this valley, was imported to France by Crusaders who wanted to take something from the Holy Land back home with them. The name Chardonnay probably evolved from the Hebrew "shaar l'adonai" (known today as Shaar Hagai) which means gate to heaven, because the road from the valley leads up to Jerusalem.
A commercial vineyard. The grapes were picked about a month ago.
From there we went to a lovely national park called Canada Park. Well, it used to be called Canada Park. Its name was changed to Ayalon Park a few years ago, in what I consider to be a cowardly example of politically correct appeasement. The original name was in appreciation to the Canadian Jewish community who paid for the park. Then came the disastrous Oslo Accords in 1993 and lots of things changed. One was that the location of the park was all of a sudden "disputed". The Canadians, not wanting to be seen as taking sides, insisted that the name of the park be changed. This is what is known in Yiddish as a shonda - an embarassment - and they should be ashamed of themselves. On the other hand, everyone here still calls is Canada Park, and that's the last word.
Another disputed matter relates to the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv train which is scheduled to become operational in April, 2018. The amount of time it takes to build anything in this country is a joke. The light rail in Jerusalem was TWELVE years overdue. I frankly don't remember how long the rail line has been under construction, but I think it's close to 20 years. However, in both cases there are reasons. The light rail delays are because archaeological finds were uncovered almost everywhere they wanted to set the rails. The Department of Antiquities had to investigate the site and determine whether or not the finds warranted re-routing the rail lines, which did happen. The issue with the inter-city train was political. When the planned route was submitted to the Ministry of Transportation, department lawyers had a stroke because (you guessed it) the route went through a "disputed" area. The lawyers put the project on hold for several years, until the plans were finally approved. It looks like the train will become a reality in my lifetime, which wasn't always a sure thing.
Lines were a theme that ran through the day. The Ayalon Valley is triangular. The rail line bisects the valley. The road to Jerusalem goes up at an angle. All of this is situated in an area that some fools claim is contested. There was never a border, only a cease-fire line. So indeed, where do you draw the line?
Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem,,
Peggy and Sid
Peggy and Sid
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