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Migdal Eider also comes up in Sefer Bereishit, as the region where Yaakov’s flock grazed upon his return from Aram (Bereishit 35:21). Targum Yonatan (ad loc.) says that this location of Migdal Eider is the place from where the Mashiach will be revealed at the end of days. The context of this mentioning of Migdal Eider is the aftermath of the burial of the matriarch Rachel and the traveling toward Hebron, where Yaakov settled in proximity to his father.
Experts in the geography of Eretz Yisrael have identified a hill overlooking the yishuv of Migdal Oz in the Gush Etzion region as the likely location of the biblical Migdal Eider. This hill has a special connection with Jerusalem, as it is the only spot between Hebron and Jerusalem from which one can see the distant Temple Mount. It is very likely, then, that this is the place at which we are told that Avraham, on the way to Akeidat Yitzchak, "saw the place from a distance" (ibid. 22:4).
It is also not surprising that Bar Kochva, whom Rabbi Akiva thought was Mashiach (Rambam, Melachim 11:3), set up his headquarters in this area. He was likely aware of the tradition that found its way into the Targum that this is a place which is fitting for the Mashiach.
From the time of Bar Kochva until 1927, this spot was desolate from the perspective of Jewish settlement. In 1927, the rabbi of Meah Shearim and a member of the Jerusalem Beit Din (and a Zionist), Rav Yosef Gershon Hurvitz (who happens to have been my great-grandfather) was part of a group that renewed Jewish settlement in this holy place. They organized a group of about 20 people, mainly new immigrants from Yemen, along with seven students of Rav Hurvitz, and formed a yeshiva in that place. This was considered a branch of the Yeshiva of Meah Shearim.
The winter of 1927 was very severe, and snow prevented supplies from arriving, putting the people in danger of starvation. Rav Yechezkel Sarna, rosh yeshiva of the Yeshiva of Hebron, sent some food by donkey. The Arabs of the neighboring Beit Omar, with whom the settlement had good relations, also sent food. In the riots of 1929, the group feared for their lives, and, again, neighbors from Beit Omar helped, this time getting them to Jerusalem safely. In 1933, Shmuel Holtzman bought land, upon which Kibbutz Kfar Etzion was built. While the Jewish growth in this area came to a brutal end in 1948, since the Six Day War, the sound of Torah has returned impressively generally to Eretz Yisrael and specifically to Gush Etzion.
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Shoftim TESHUVA IN COURT OF LAW?
Parshat Shoftim-Chodesh Elul
Why does parshat Shoftim always come out during Elul? This innovative and central explanation is an eye-opener regarding many aspects of Judaism.
The Month of Elul TESHUVA IS THE ANSWER
The month of Elul serves as a vital time for self-reflection and personal accountability to prepare for true repentance.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
P'ninat Mishpat Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Chemdat Yamim The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
