Excerpts from a Biblical InSites Seminar Blog

Randi Brenowitz of Palo Alto, CA, kindly agreed to share excerpts from her blog during the Biblical InSites Seminar, October 18-28, 2010. Randi is a veteran of all the Melton Israel Seminars, this being her third, and she will be participating in the first Melton Spain-Israel Seminar, which will take place in May 2011.

Biblical InSites — Let the Games Begin

Several friends from previous seminars are here, too, and it is wonderful to see them. Our adventure started on Mt. Scopus on the campus of Hebrew University where we read 2 Samuel’s references to the area and also from Herzl and Yehuda Amichai – examining the approach to Jerusalem through the ages. Think you know the structure and format of the Tanakh? So did I until I heard the brief overview from Morey Schwartz, Melton’s Curriculum Director. As usual, Morey gave us new perspective and even led us through some of the Talmudic discussions on what should be included and in what order. As a way of using what we had just learned, we studied Lech Lecha in chevruta and each discussed not only the text, but what our own journey is about…what a wonderful way to get introduced to our new learning partners.

The day ended with a wonderful dinner at Eucalyptus – a biblical style culinary experience using only local ingredients and all herbs and spices having been referenced in the Bible. The chef gave us a brief lecture before we started and discussed each of our courses and what spices he used and where they are referenced. With Melton, even dinner is a learning experience!

Entering the Text ... And the Land

Our day today had to be changed since the temperature was over 40 degrees Celsius. For those uncomfortable with the conversion to Fahrenheit, just know that 40 C is HOT! And our program today called for a hike on Mt. Sdom with no shade in size for miles. It’s a shame as we were all looking forward to being on the mountain while study the Lot story. But I get ahead of myself.

Our day started with Dr. Howie Deitcher from the Melton Center for Jewish Education on Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar: Ethical Challenges. We read the text of the story concentrating on analysis of the characters from a traditional, archeological, philosophical, psychological, literary, and feminist point of view. Howie helped us understand how to do this with all texts which is a gift we will have when we go back to our home communities and continue our studies.

We then spent a bit of time outside, near Mt. Sdom which really does taste like salt. This was where we were to start our hike and our study which we did instead in an air conditioned meeting room (more comfortable, but certainly less dramatic), The theme of this session was Abraham at Sdom: The Moral Imperative and it included a comparative analysis of the Abraham and the Lot characters in the Sdom and Gomorrah story.

By now it was a bit cooler so we were able to go to an area overlooking Jericho where we studied (How) Did Joshua Bring the Children of Israel over the River? The comparison here was between Moses and Joshua with the incidents of the spies, the crossing of a sea/river, purification, three days of preparation, etc. It was an incredible new look at the Joshua story.

Those who have followed my Melton trips before know that little tidbits of Hebrew come floating in at all sorts of moments…This one was that the verb “to cross over” has the same root as Ivri and Abraham was called the first Ivri from which the word Ivrit (Hebrew) comes from…Abraham being the first to cross over to become a Hebrew and now the language is also called by the same name.

Then there is the word “zona” – generally translated as harlot. But there is the same root as “mason” – food…and therefore sometimes zona is translated as inn keeper. I leave the metaphors to you.

We ended our time together by studying the Cain and Abel story and lighting a candle in honor of the 15th yahrtzeit of Yitzhak Rabin.

Dinner on our own and an relatively early night for me…Lila tov.

And the Land was Quiet for Forty Years, The Period of the Judges

Our first stop in Shoftim (the Book of Judges) is the Samson cycle. If you know the stories, then you know how wonderful it was to do this study in Bet Shemesh and Askelon in the land of Dan (din?). I will not try to repeat all of our text study, except to say that the Judges transition us from Moses and Joshua to the Kings. They were more than judges in our 21st century definition – more like leaders and, at times, prophet-like.

Samson was brought into the picture to be a corrective agent…but in the end he turned out to be like the rest of the population. The context here is that the land of the Canaanites has been overrun with Israelites and Philistines. They have now lost control of their land to two newcomers who struggle for control of the land ever since.

Although this seminar is intended to deal only with the Biblical texts and times, the modern parallels are impossible not to make…especially as you sit in those ancient places and look out times on modern towns.

We had a dinner on Emek Refaim (my favorite street) and then a nice walk back to the hotel. As with every Melton evening, although I am tired both physically and mentally, the new images and insights swirl in my brain.

David: The Shepherd Becomes Leader; The Leader Becomes King and Symbol (Bet Shemesh)

Friday in Jerusalem and Shabbat is already in the air! Back in Bet Shemesh (but the other end), we spent the morning studying the David cycle in 1 and 2 Samuel. We focused on the Goliath story, the recovery of the ark from the Philistines, and of course the Bat Sheva story concentrating on the geo-political meanings and the development of the characters…as we have done with the Sara/Hagar story and the Shimshon cycle. Our text was supplemented with poems by Yehuda Amichai and a fresh look at photos of Michelangelo’a David sculpture. It was a beautiful morning (the hamsim has finally broken) - a perfect time to be looking out over the Valley of Elah and studying the texts.

Since it is already Standard Time in Israel, Shabbat comes in really early. The group was meeting before 4 to go to candle lighting and to Kabbalat Shabbat at the Kotel. While I always enjoy candle lighting at David’s tomb (and most appropriate for today), I always have mixed emotions about going to the Kotel. In light of the recent arrest of the Women of the Wall, I just couldn’t do it. So I opted (as did some others) for a little reading, a great work out, and a sorely needed nap.

I will now join the group for Shabbat dinner and will be back to the blog after Shabbat goes out tomorrow. Wishing you all a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat.

Shabbat Vayera in Jerusalem

Kiddush, Motzi, and a FABULOUS dinner at the Inbal Hotel – a perfect way to begin Shabbat in Jerusalem.

Our group joined the Classic Melton Seminar so we were a rowdy group of 50 enjoying dinner in the courtyard on this beautiful evening. It was fun to meet yet another group of people who are traveling with Melton but having a different set of experiences. After dinner Yonaton Mirivs, Melton's International Director, gave us an update of the current situation in Israel and the state of the peace process. This is not the usual for Shabbat evening, but I think it was the only time they could fit it in for both groups and Yonaton’s analyses are always a welcomed gift.

Shabbat morning is my favorite time in Jerusalem – walking through the quiet streets that are generally packed with traffic are, on Shabbat morning, only filled with people walking to shul and each wishing the others a Shabbat Shalom. A few of us went together to Har El which is the first Reform congregation in Jerusalem. It has become my home congregation in Jerusalem and I was even called for an aliyah…which was quite exciting. The parsha this week included the Sdom and Gomorrah story and the infamous pillar of salt. This time, however, I had tasted that pillar – I knew how salty it was – and the parsha became much more personal. The parsha also includes the akedah – the binding of Isaac. In our Melton study session, Yonaton suggested that Sdom was a story of dialog and the akedah one of silence. I had never thought of why those two stories were so close in the text.

Lunch, rest, more study, se’uda shlisheet, and havdallah rounded out Shabbat. Then back up to the room to pack and get ready as tomorrow we leave for a few days in the Galil.

The Challenges of Ledership

Our first stop was Afek – a Philistine stronghold on the way up north. We studied Samuel and the wonderings of the ark in 1 Samuel 4. I had never read past the Hannah story before so this was interesting to do. We did a comparison of eshet Manoach (Samson’s mother), Hannah, and Sara.

Our next stop on the way north was scheduled to be a session in the Jezreel Valley studying Gideon, Devoarah, and Yael. We were running late, a group of school children was on the site we were going to use, and the days do end early this time of the year… so unfortunately we had to abort that session. I was disappointed, but I’m not sure my brain could have handled any more input.

We then arrived at Kibbutz Lavi which has a charming guest house Lower Galilee. Our session before dinner was an experiential way of processing our visit to Hevron. Although our seminar is biblical in nature, we couldn’t possibly visit Hevron without spending some time discussing the current situation. I leave these discussions feeling sadder and more hopeless than I started them.

We had a wonderful dinner at an organic restaurant that is on the site where people were trained to start kibbutzim. The food was fabulous and the chef spent time with us explaining all of our dishes and the history of the restaurant. Another tiring, but thought provoking day!

Alternative Centers

With no traffic noise, no neighbors, and perfect weather, I was able to leave the window open all night waking up to the smells and sounds of morning in the countryside.

Our formal day started at Tel Dan Nature Reserve. We traced the migration of the Tribe of Dan from the south to the Northern Kingdom. During that time, the encountered the idyllic community of Laish who they overran and created an alternative capital in this area. We studied Judges 17 and 18 and Kings 12. showing the problematic rulership of the tribes and how the loyalty went from tribe to nation and back to tribe. I learned about Jeroboam (admittedly a new guy for me) who didn’t want to people to go to Jerusalem to sacrifice as he was afraid they’d go back to loyalty to the Southern Kingdom…so what he did was move Sukkot to Chesvan and (on this site where we were now reading and studying) built a new altar for sacrifices…encouraging people to come here for their pilgrimages. There were even two more golden claves – who knew? (probably some of you reading this, but not me.)

The afternoon was at the Royal City of Hatzor. Tel Hatzor has 21 layers of Canaanite and Israelite cities dating from 1720 – 732 BCE. Our text was 1 Kings 20 and we did a bit of a comparison of Joshua and Ahab – apparently more on that tomorrow.

After a brief rest and dinner at the kibbutz, we spent the evening with someone from the kibbutz who discussed their lives here and the history of the kibbutz development in this area. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the kibbutz movement, but most are failing or moving to simply being villages. Kibbutz Lavi is still working under the original kibbutz model and they are (rightfully) proud of their ability to maintain this lifestyle and to add young people every year. This is not the life for me (not by a long shot) but it is wonderful to be part of it for a few days.

The Trouble With Kings

This gorgeous day started with a walking tour through the many beautiful gardens of the kibbutz and then to a “makeup” study session on Devora (from Sunday) where we compared the story as written in Judges 4 with the “song” Devora and Barak sing about the episode in Judges 5. Then off to the Yzre’el Valley where several of our group did a brilliant job of acting out the Ahav and Jezebel story. It was really hilarious and great fun.

Hebrew tid bits of the day…the word for chariot is merkava. The Israeli tank is also called a merkava. Jezebel is Izevel in Hebrew. In modern Hebrew zevel is garbage…You gotta love this language!

We spent the bulk of the afternoon at Tel Megiddo. During Biblical period, Megiddo controlled the trade route between Egypt and Mesopotamia. The Tel was enormous and we hiked into the cistern which was really impressive…and a great aerobic workout.

Dinner at the charming Benjamina winery and then back to Jerusalem.

Past and Future - Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Visions for the Future

We started our last day in a beautiful park at Ramat Rachel – a kibbutz that was directly on the green line in 1948. We studied the prophesies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel – both about the exile but one focusing on the religious aspects and the other on the national aspects.

After a brief stop at Rachel’s tomb, we stopped at the Goldman Promenade overlooking Jerusalem where we returned to Jeremiah and his prophecy of the return to the land. We closed the study part of our journey together with Psalm 137 – If I forget thee, O Jerusalem.

Then time to rest and pack and then the closing session and a wonderful dinner at Bet Ticho. We said our goodbyes with each of us knowing that we can never open a Tenach again without thinking of this seminar…we can never read the stories again without remembering the land…and our connection to the book and the land has been deepened beyond words.

Reflections from the Frankfurt Airport

It’s a long trip between TLV and SFO and friends often ask, “Are you going on a Melton seminar AGAIN??!!” Before I answer I think where else can I engage with 25 other serious adult learners for 2 weeks? And where else might I have the experience of actually tasting the pillar of salt while studying the Sdom story – or pick up a smooth rock in the valley where David slew Goliath and wondering if this might have actually been that rock? Where else might I encounter the ancient texts amplified by modern thinking, poetry, and song? And is there possibly another place where I can find the combination of ancient/modern place, outstanding curriculum, incredible learning materials, and educators who manage to treat everyone as if they were the only person on the trip? Where else can I exercise my body, my brain, my emotions, my spirit, and my soul – exhausting and exhilarating them all at the same time?

So when friends ask, “Are you going on a Melton seminar again?” I don’t hesitate before I anger, “You Bet I Am!”