Shuvoo Newsletter
Issue 14 – April 27th,
2006
Thoughts on Ancient Times & Current Events by
Ashirah Yosefah
I N T R O D U C I N G
Shuvoo Sights & Sites
Journeys through Photo & Word
The Land of Israel
is a photographer’s dream, a writer’s dream, a panacea of delights both
spiritual and physical for the spiritually thirsty, even curious. People around the world are being drawn to Israel and to the Jewish people; many of these
people wish that they could visit Israel, some desire to live
here. If one takes a tour of Israel,
they see many divergent sights, most of which are traditional places of
interest depending on the nature of the tour involved; however, Shuvoo would
like to offer our subscribers “Sights & Sites” that are uniquely Israel … people,
places, events and happenings that connect one to the past, elevate the present
and bring hope for the future of this amazing country upon which G-d has chosen
to place His Name and in which He has promised to place His people … all of
them.
In the future, b’lee neder,
Shuvoo will alternate between our weekly Shuvoo Newsletters and Shuvoo Sights
& Sounds, building up a photo gallery of these items on the Shuvoo website.
So let us take our first
journey, back in time to the place where the Ark of the Covenant stood for 369
years. Let’s go to Shiloh, in the
traditional tribal lands of Ephraim, to the ancient home of the Tabernacle
where Yehoshua divided Eretz Yisrael into its tribal allocations and where
Hannah cried out to Hashem for a miracle and by so doing gave generations to
follow one of the most beautiful prayers recorded in Tanach (1 Samuel 2:1-20).
"My heart exults
in HASHEM; I have triumphed through Hashem.
I gloat over my
enemies; I rejoice in Your deliverance.
There is no holy one
like Hashem, truly there is none beside You;
There is no Rock like
our G-D.
Talk no more with
lofty pride, let no arrogance cross your lips!
For Hashem is an all-knowing G-D; by Him actions are
measured.”
(From Hannah’s
Prayer, 1 Samuell 2:1-3)
The above photograph shows the stone remains of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) at
Shiloh. Within the yellow rectangle can
be seen the remains of the stone Altar. The stone wall to the left has
been determined by archaeologists to be the front wall of the Tabernacle with
the Altar located in the courtyard in front and slightly to the east of the structure
containing the Menorah, Table of Shewbread, Incense Altar, and, of course, the
Ark of the Covenant. (© Ashirah Yosefah
Photo)
Here at Shiloh, the Children of Israel would gather for the
annual pilgrimage feasts of Pesach,
Shavuot and Sukkot. They brought their
offerings and sacrifices to the Altar, then, once their offering had been
received and the sacrificial rite completed, they gathered with their family
and friends on the encircling hills to feast on their portion of the offerings. From this natural amphitheatre created by the
hills at Shiloh, the Children of Israel could
watch the activity in the Tabernacle courtyard and celebrate the Feasts of
Hashem together.
Here at Shiloh, on Yom Kippur, the High Priest performed the
required sacrifices of atonement and released the scapegoat. Here
the Levite priests sounded the shofar to herald the beginning of each
new month. The ground is rich with abundant shards of ancient
pottery remaining from thousands dishes and pots. Holding these time-worn clay fragments in
one’s hand evokes a flood of imagination:
What might it have been? How was it
used and by whom?
The multitude of
stones, large and small, that are scattered about the Mishkan site each echo
the voices of the past. During a visit there in 2004, I discovered
several pieces of white ceramic tile amidst the ruins of what is assumed to
have been a 'community shelter and cold room' adjacent to the Mishkan. I
was at the site with Yair Shalev, a friend who is both an archaeologist and tour
guide. Yair was involved in the
excavation of the Mishkan site. He was
delighted with my find and told me that the tiny ceramic squares in my hand
were a first time discovery. Ceramics
had not been found at Shiloh previously and their
presence there offered new insights into the nature of the vibrant community
that once lived there.
Unlike the Tabernacle that the Children of Israel carried through their
wilderness wanderings, the Tabernacle which stood at Shiloh
was a more permanent structure. It was
constructed with wood and stone, using the original Tabernacle furnishings,
curtains and vessels. During excavations at Shiloh,
Yair Shalev discovered a concentration of sheep and bird bones near
to an ash pit within the ruins of a structure of some sort in the
Tabernacle courtyard. His discovery
confirmed the structure to have been the Altar upon which the Levites performed
the daily Olah Tamid offerings, the Feast offerings and the various sacrifices required
by Torah.
The depression (top left, yellow circle) is believed to have been a pit for
the collection of ashes from the Altar.
The yellow circle on the lower right marks the location where Yair
Shalev discovered concentrations of bones from sheep and birds. (© Ashirah Yosefah Photo)
If one listens with one's soul, as opposed to one's ears, the Mishkan site
at Shiloh cries out with the testimonies of
time. It is a holy place ... the air is heavy with a sense of
awe. If you listen intently, you can hear voices from the past: Levites singing, the High Priest praying, the
clamor of voices from the throngs gathered for the pilgrimage feasts. Somewhere on these sacred grounds, Hannah
prayed that her barren womb might be opened.
Hashem heard her cry. As soon as
the child had been weaned, she returned to Shiloh and presented her young son
Samuel to the High Priest Eli, giving back to G-d that which was most precious
to her and giving Israel
one of its more famous prophets of old.
Having visited Shiloh these past few
paragraphs and having reflected on the past, let us now look to the future with
renewed hope and strengthen ourselves with the closing words of Hannah’s
prayer:
The foes of Hashem
shall be shattered;
He will thunder
against them in the heavens.
Hashem will judge to
the ends of the earth,
He will give power to
His king, and triumph to His anointed one."
(1 Samuel 2:9-10)
Our next Shuvoo Sights &
Sites visit? The ancient boundary walls
built by Israel
during the days of Yehoshua and the curious plant they used to mark the tribal
boundaries.
See you then … Shabbat Shalom.
Shuvoo
Ashirah
Yosefah
info@shuvoo.com
