Tag Archives: Maccabees

Joseph and the Rothschilds

This week’s parasha, Vayeshev, relays the infamous story of the Sale of Joseph. As explored in the past, a careful reading of the text shows that Joseph’s brothers didn’t necessarily sell him (see ‘Was Joseph Really Sold by His Brothers?’ in Garments of Light, Volume One). They threw him in a pit and abandoned him. They then discussed what to do next, and Yehudah only suggested selling him. While they were still deliberating, Reuben goes to get Joseph from the pit and discovers that he is no longer there. Midianites had found Joseph and enslaved him, then sold him to Ishmaelites that took him down to Egypt. Reuben runs to his brothers to relay that Joseph is gone! (Genesis 37:29-30)

The plain reading of the text suggests the brothers did not sell Joseph. However, because they abandoned him and seriously considered selling him, they took on the blame for it anyway. Most commentaries, including Rashi, insist that the brothers really were directly involved in the sale, but some commentators argue otherwise, including Rashi’s grandson Rashbam (Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir, c. 1085-1158), who wrote:

… עברו אנשים מדיינים אחרים דרך שם, וראוהו בבור ומשכוהו ומכרוהו המדיינים לישמעאלים. ויש לומר שהאחים לא ידעו, ואף על פי אשר כתב: אשר מכרתם אותי מצרימה (בראשית מ”ה:ד’), יש לומר: שהגרמת מעשיהם סייעה במכירתו. זה נראה לי לפי עומק דרך פשוטו של מקרא. כי ויעברו אנשים מדיינים – משמע על ידי מקרה, והם מכרוהו לישמעאלים.

… other, Midianite people passed by there and saw [Joseph] in the pit and pulled him out and sold him to the Ishmaelites. One could say that the brothers did not know of this, even though it is later written “that you sold me to Egypt” (Genesis 45:4) this is to mean that their actions indirectly caused his sale. This appears to me to be the more profound simple understanding of the verses, for “Midianite people passed by” coincidentally at that time, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites.

This interpretation would explain many other details, for instance, why were the brothers so shocked to see Joseph years later in Egypt? If they had sold him to a slave caravan going down to Egypt, why would they be surprised to find him there? They should have known he is in Egypt! In fact, we know the brothers all repented wholeheartedly, so why did they not, at some point, go down to Egypt and look for him or try to bring him back? The evidence is quite strong that the brothers genuinely did not know where he was.

A related follow-up question: Which brothers were there when Joseph was sold to begin with? The parasha begins by telling us that Joseph “tended the flocks with his brothers, and he was a youth with the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah.” (Genesis 37:2) It seems Joseph spent most of his time with the four sons from the concubine-wives, ie. Dan, Naftali, Gad, and Asher—the younger siblings. The sons of Leah, meanwhile, kept to themselves, perhaps because of seniority or maybe even an air of superiority. It seems to be that Joseph and the four sons of the concubine wives stayed close to home and shepherded their flocks near Jacob’s tent, while the sons of Leah were shepherding further away near Shechem and Dotan, which is why Jacob sends Joseph on a mission to find them and see what they are up to (Genesis 37:14). Note how the only brothers that are named in the account surrounding the sale are Reuben, Shimon, and Judah—three of the six sons of Leah. None of the other brothers are mentioned. One could make the case that maybe only the sons of Leah were involved.

The Sefirot of Mochin above (in blue) and the Sefirot of the Middot below (in red) on the mystical “Tree of Life”.

Kabbalistically, the children of Leah make up a complete set corresponding to the lower Sefirot. Recall that the Ten Sefirot are divided up into the three lofty Mochin (“intellectual” faculties) and the seven lower Middot (“emotional” faculties). The firstborn Reuben, the kind one who tried to save Joseph, is Chessed, the first of the Middot. Chessed is associated with water, and Jacob later describes Reuben as pachaz k’mayim, “impetuous like water”. Second-born Shimon, the strongest, feistiest, and most judgemental of the brothers, neatly corresponds to second Gevurah, or Din, “severity” and “judgement”. The priestly Levi is Tiferet, the repentant Yehudah is Netzach, and Issachar and Zevulun are Hod and Yesod. Their sister Dinah, of course, corresponds to the feminine Malkhut.

It appears from the plain text of the parasha that the children of Leah mostly kept to their own “Sefirotic” group. That said, we find that Reuben was not with them when they discussed the sale of Joseph. The Zohar (I, 185b) explains that the sons of Jacob took turns tending to their father’s needs. That day was the day that Reuben was responsible for Jacob, so he was away with his father. This explains why Reuben only reappears later in the narrative. He only rushed back, the Zohar says, to save Joseph from the pit, and was completely unaware of the sale (וְאֲפִילּוּ רְאוּבֵן לָא יָדַע מֵהַהוּא זְבִינָא דְיוֹסֵף). He would not find out until many years later in Egypt. If we put all of this information together, it appears only five of the brothers were directly involved: Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Issachar, and Zevulun. All ten are ultimately held culpable because brothers are all responsible for each other, and should always be aware of each other’s whereabouts and wellbeing. The fact that they let Joseph get sold into slavery was an absolute failure on the part of all ten, even those who were not technically involved. And that’s why we have so many traditions and teachings about the need for all ten brothers to be rectified, including through the Ten Martyrs later in history (see ‘The Ten Martyrs & the Message of Yom Kippur’ in Garments of Light, Volume Two).

But what of the five brothers that were mainly culpable? They would certainly need a special, additional tikkun. As we look through Jewish history, we find several more groups of “five brothers” that are of tremendous significance. Each of these groups of five propel Judaism forward and usher in a new era in Jewish history. Who are these groups of five and how do they relate to the five brothers of Joseph?

The Maccabees & the Tannaim

We find a set of five brothers with similar names to the first set in the story of Chanukah. Parashat Vayeshev is always read right around Chanukah time, and there are no coincidences in the Jewish calendar! Could it be that the righteous Yehudah, who takes the lead among the sons of Jacob and takes the lead in repentance, returns as Yehudah Maccabee, who takes the lead among the sons of Matityahu and takes the lead to save Judaism in the Second Temple era? Shimon, who was the most culpable of the sons and was not even blessed by Jacob on his deathbed (Genesis 49), returns as Simon Thassi, “Shimon the Righteous”, the last surviving son of the Maccabees and arguably the first rabbi. What a tikkun that would make! Levi, the family priest in Jacob’s time, returns as Elazar, described as the most “religious” of the Maccabees, the one tasked with learning and praying while the other brothers fought the Seleucids (see II Maccabees 8:22-23). Elazar eventually joins the battle himself, and tragically gets trampled by a war elephant. The little-known Issachar and Zevulun, who are not mentioned in the Genesis account, parallel Yonatan and Yochanan, of whom we also know the least about when it comes to the Maccabees.

In fact, as explored in the past, it is possible that these same five souls return once again in the students of Rabbi Akiva: Yehuda bar Ilai, Shimon bar Yochai, Elazar ben Shammua, Yose bar Halafta, and Meir. These five rabbis were involved in a great war, too—the Bar Kochva Revolt—and were among the few survivors. The Talmud credits them with reviving Judaism after the devastation of the war (Yevamot 62b). Again, this would serve as a worthy tikkun for the five sons of Jacob and the failure with Joseph. The fact that the five rabbis were students of Akiva (Aramaic for “Yakov”) bar Yosef might further hint to a connection to Joseph in the Torah.

With the first five brothers, Joseph told them that they intended something negative, but it was all in Hashem’s hands and He orchestrated it all to bring about something positive. It was all meant to happen, to bring Israel to its next phase of development in Egypt, and to set the stage for the Exodus. The same was true the second time around during Chanukah, with the five sons of Matityahu saving Judaism and bringing it to its next stage of development, the rabbinic era. And the third time was with the students of Rabbi Akiva, who were once again able to preserve Judaism amidst intense Roman persecution and exile, and adapt Judaism to a reality without a Temple, while laying the foundations of the Mishnah and Talmud.

The Rothschilds & the Chanukah Lights

One might go even further and find another set of five Jewish brothers who make a massive impact not only on the course of the Jewish people but on the world at large: the five original Rothschild sons. Their father Mayer Rothschild was initially set to become a rabbi. In his youth, he apprenticed with a banker and eventually became one himself. He was a deeply religious man, and ensured his five sons were the same. None of them intermarried or converted out. (Eldest son Amschel was particularly known to be very religious, and was nicknamed “the pious Rothschild”. Grandson Lionel was the first Jew in British parliament, and was sworn in over a Tanakh, wearing a kippah.)

The Rothschilds invested huge sums in support of shuls, yeshivas, orphanages, and Jewish institutions, and later played a big role in the Zionist movement and establishing some of the first Jewish towns in Israel. (A famous Hasidic story attributes Rothschild wealth and success to a blessing from Rabbi Hershelle Tschortkower.) Grandson Edmond de Rothschild gave the funds to establish Rishon Lezion, Metulla, Ekron, Rosh Pina, and Zichron Yaakov (named after his father Jacob Rothschild). He purchased an additional 125,000 acres of land in Israel, and gave the equivalent of what is today $700 million for the early infrastructure that made Israel possible. He was beloved by Jews and Arabs alike, and was called haNadiv haYadua, “the Famous Benefactor”.

Edmond de Rothschild on an Israeli 500 Shekel Note (1982)

The name “Rothschild”, literally red shield, comes from the red banner the family had above their door in the Jewish quarter of Frankfurt. The family later designed a coat of arms that included a red shield, and an arm holding five arrows to represent the five brothers, based on Psalms 127:4, “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are sons born to a man in his youth.” Some conspiracy theorists have argued that the red shield is symbolic of the family secretly being Edomites, connected to the wicked Esau. However, one could make the opposite case: the Rothschilds probably did more than any other family at the time to shield the Jewish people from the oppression of Edom! They also invested heavily in Edom, paying for some of the first European rail networks and modern factories, as well as hospitals, universities and research labs, museums, charities, and large public works.

We find a great deal of similarity between the five Maccabee sons and the five Rothschild sons. In both cases, the sons were deeply religious, their children less so, and the descendants that followed leaving the faith entirely. The Hasmonean dynasty of the Maccabees soon became entirely Hellenistic, taking on Greek names (like Alexander Yannai and Yochanan Hyrcanus) and Greek titles (like strategos and basileus), and eventually even persecuting rabbis, causing sages like Shimon ben Shatach and Yehoshua ben Perachia to flee to Egypt. Among the Rothschilds, too, within a few generations there was widespread assimilation, intermarriage, conversions, and support for all kinds of things antithetical to Judaism. Some Rothschilds even became vocal anti-Zionists and refused to ever visit Israel.

‘Joseph Makes Himself Known to His Brethren’ by Gustav Doré

And it all ties back to Joseph in Egypt. In fact, some see Joseph as a spiritual precursor to the Rothschilds: a “Court Jew” who became incredibly wealthy and powerful, drawing the ire and resentment of the Egyptians. The result is ultimately more antisemitism and persecution of Jews, but that leads to an Exodus to the Promised Land. This is, of course, reminiscent of what we witnessed in the 20th Century. It all reminds us of Joseph’s own words: “Now, do not be distressed or reproach yourselves because you sold me here; it was to save life that God sent me ahead of you… God has sent me ahead of you to ensure your survival on earth, and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance. So, it was not you who sent me here, but God…” (Genesis 45:4-8) We must remember that all is in Hashem’s hands. He orchestrates every detail of history. Moments that initially appear negative end up being revealed as positive in the long run. And this was Joseph’s superpower: having an ayin tova, a good eye, and seeing the positive within all things. That is why Jacob described him as being ben porat Yosef, ben porat alei ayin, good upon the eye (Genesis 49:22).

The Chanukah lights have the same message. They represent the ohr haganuz, the hidden light of Creation. We are not supposed to derive physical benefit from the Chanukah lights (hence the shamash) to remember to gaze beyond the physical light and into the spiritual. They remind us that things are not always as they appear to be. There is a hidden light beneath the revealed one. Sometimes we just need to look a little deeper to uncover it.

Happy Chanukah!

Ovadiah’s Vision of October 7

The Haftarah for this week’s parasha, Vayishlach, is the entire book of Ovadiah. This is the shortest book in Tanakh, just one chapter of 21 verses. The entire text is a prophecy regarding what will happen to Edom. The Zohar (I, 171a) explains that Ovadiah alone was able to foresee what exactly will happen to Edom in the distance future because he was himself a convert from Edom! There is a bit of a debate whether this Ovadiah is the same as the Ovadiah that assisted Eliyahu in I Kings 18. Recall that the latter Ovadiah was a servant in the palace of the wicked King Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel: “When Jezebel was killing off the prophets of God, Ovadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and provided them with food and drink.” (I Kings 18:4) The Talmud teaches us that for this incredible act of kindness and bravery, Ovadiah was himself blessed with the gift of prophecy (Sanhedrin 39b). That said, it is possible the two Ovadiahs were distinct individuals (or reincarnations of the same soul, in two different bodies). In fact, there are at least a dozen people across the Tanakh named “Ovadiah”!

Petra, in today’s Jordan

Ovadiah’s prophecy to Edom begins by promising its destruction: “I will make you least among nations, you shall be most despised.” (1:2) What did the Edomites do to deserve this? “Your arrogant heart has seduced you, you who dwell in clefts of the rock, in your lofty abode. You think in your heart: ‘Who can pull me down to earth?’” (1:3) The main Edomite stronghold in ancient times is what is today called Petra, the famous rock outcropping on the east side of the Jordan River. The Edomites believed themselves to be safe in their Petra fortress, and they grew arrogant, and then joined the Babylonians in attacking Jerusalem:

For the outrage against your brother Jacob, disgrace shall engulf you, and you shall perish forever. On that day when you stood aloof, when aliens carried off his goods, when foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were as one of them. How could you gaze with glee on your brother that day, on his day of calamity! How could you gloat over the people of Judah on that day of ruin! How could you loudly jeer on a day of anguish! (1:10-12)

This is echoed in Psalm 137:7, which describes the tragic destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians, and says: “Remember, Hashem, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem’s fall; how they cried ‘Strip her, strip her to her very foundations!’” The Edomite cruelly went along with the Babylonian catastrophe, the destruction of the Holy Temple, and the exile of the Judeans. And for that, God promised that they should “perish forever”. When did this happen?

The Hasmoneans, of Maccabee fame, conquered Edom (by then called Idumea) during the reign of King Yochanan Hyrcanus (r. 134-104 BCE, probably the same person called Yochanan Kohen Gadol in the Talmud—more in his identity here). The Romans later absorbed Idumea into their own empire, and in 6 CE incorporated it into the province of Judea. It was then that Edom completely ceased to exist as its own entity—Ovadiah’s prophecy was finally fulfilled. Henceforth, in rabbinic texts, “Edom” was instead used as a code word for the Roman Empire (to understand why, see the second part of the recent ‘Understanding Edom’ series, and ‘How Esau Became Rome’ in Volume Two of Garments of Light).

That said, we know that the Tanakh often presents us with “double-level” prophecies, to be fulfilled in those contemporary days of the past, as well as in the far future. After all, at its core the Tanakh is not a historical text, but a prophetic one. It has relevance not just to the past, but for the present and future, too. We study Tanakh to better understand ourselves and our souls, and to understand the world around us. The Torah is a living text, and we view the world through the lens of Torah. Thus, Ovadiah’s prophecy was not just for the past, fulfilled two millennia ago, but also for the far future, for the End of Days, and we can use it to better understand our current reality.

The Evolution of Edom & Rome

The key to understanding Ovadiah’s End Times vision is recognizing the identity of Edom. In Jewish texts, Edom is always used in reference to the Roman Empire. The original Roman Empire collapsed in 476 CE with the sack of Rome by the Germanic king Odoacer. However, the Roman Empire had previously been split into Western and Eastern halves. The West half was centered in Rome, while the Eastern half was centered in Constantinople. The Eastern half was not overrun by barbarians, and continued to exist—referred to today as the “Byzantine Empire”. Henceforth, its illustrious capital Constantinople was seen as the new, “second” Rome.

Division of the Roman Empire in 395 CE

In 1453 CE, the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, turning it into Istanbul. As the city became Islamified, the Orthodox Christian establishment fled—many of them to Moscow. They designated Moscow as the new, and “third” Rome. Henceforth, the leader of Russia was no longer called a “duke”, but rather czar, literally “caesar”. Russia adopted the Roman eagle as its symbol, and the red Edomite colours. This continued all the way through to the Red Army of the USSR, with its red flag and its epicentre at Red Square in Moscow. And so, although “Edom” certainly refers to the entire Western and Christian world, the leading oppressor of Edom is referred to more specifically as the “Third Rome”.

Indeed, we find that Russia and the USSR have been the longest and most consistent oppressor of Israel for centuries. Whether it’s the Pale of Settlement, the Cantonist Laws (that forcibly conscripted Jewish children to the Russian Army for decades of service), the pogroms, or the gulags; the USSR’s role in creating the “Palestinian” movement and training the PLO, or the KGB’s infiltration of the Israeli Knesset (discussed in this class), or Russia today supporting Hamas and Hezbollah (neither of which is designated a terrorist organization by Russia, unlike by nearly all Western countries). It was also in Russia that the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion was produced, inspiring generation after generation of antisemites and Jew-murderers.

So, while there may still be some debate in Jewish circles regarding who exactly is the “Third Rome” of the world today, it actually seems quite clear that all signs point to Moscow. Amazingly, the Talmud (Sanhedrin 98a) predicted that there would be three Romes, but not a fourth, and that Mashiach would come after the fall of the Third Rome. As explored in the past (in an essay here, and in the three-part video series on “Third Rome”), the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 (or 5750) corresponded perfectly to the final possible starting point of the Ikvot haMashiach, the “End of Days” era leading up to the Messianic Age. With this in mind, we can understand Ovadiah’s prophecy and how it relates to today’s events.

Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis

Ovadiah 1:3 accuses Edom of becoming arrogant, and feeling safe in their “lofty abode”. This could certainly apply to Russia, which has in recent years been arrogantly trying to conquer (or reconquer) neighbouring lands in Georgia, Crimea, and Ukraine. Perhaps the Russian regime feels safe in their vast and cold northern abode, knowing full well that no one has been able to defeat them in the past, not even the massive, powerful armies of Napoleon or Hitler. So, Russia arrogantly went to war with Ukraine, and thought it would be a quick “special operation”. Instead, it has turned into a full-blown proxy war against NATO, and Russia has suffered horrendous losses. They are now relying partly on cheaply-made Iranian drones and missiles, and on thousands of North Korean mercenaries who have not been able to help very much either. At the same time, support from allies like China and Belarus has been underwhelming. Ovadiah describes this all very well:

How thoroughly rifled is Esau, how ransacked his hoards! All your allies turned you back at the frontier; your own confederates have duped and overcome you; [those who ate] your bread have planted snares under you. He is bereft of understanding. (v. 6-7)

One of the Edomite allies that Ovadiah refers to are the “warriors of Teiman”, and Ovadiah says they will “lose heart” and faulter: v’hatu giborekha teiman! (v. 9) It is interesting to point out that one of the so-called 3 H’s that Russia supports is the Houthis of Yemen, ie. Teiman (the other two are Hamas and Hezbollah). Ovadiah even gives a cryptic allusion to this in saying those murderers in Teiman will be hatu—Houthis! More incredibly, the very next verse mentions Hamas: “For the violence against your brother Jacob, disgrace shall engulf you, and you shall perish forever.” (v. 10) The word for “violence” here, of course, is hamas. Ovadiah goes on to accuse Edom of supporting those who came against Israel:

On that day when you stood aloof, when aliens carried off his goods, when foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were as one of them. How could you gaze with glee on your brother that day, on his day of calamity! How could you gloat over the people of Judah on that day of ruin! How could you loudly jeer on a day of anguish! How could you enter the gate of My people on its day of disaster, gaze in glee with the others on its misfortune on its day of disaster, and lay hands on its wealth on its day of disaster! (v. 12-14)

Edom stood by while Israel was being slaughtered. The terrorists came to “cast lots for Jerusalem”. Recall that the name Hamas chose for their day of terror on October 7 was “Al-Aqsa Flood”—they believed they were coming to “liberate” Al-Aqsa, ie. Jerusalem. Ovadiah says Edom played a role in this because they were concerned for their own wealth. Indeed, many have pointed out that Russia had the most to gain from October 7: In the days leading up to it, all the talk in the media was about Israel’s impending peace deal with Saudi Arabia—which would include oil and gas pipelines through Israel to Europe that would undermine Russia’s own supply to Europe (Russia’s main source of wealth). Russia had to stop the deal to protect its oil and gas riches. It worked, as October 7 quashed the Israel-Saudi deal.

At the same time, Russia wanted to get the world off its back for Ukraine, and this too happened post-October 7, with the world quickly forgetting about Ukraine and turning all of its attention to Gaza. Funding and donations for Ukraine subsequently dropped in dramatic fashion, the world’s money now channeled to Gaza instead. (Ukrainian officials complained greatly about this, to deaf ears!) For Russia, October 7 was a win-win. And it also just happened to be Putin’s birthday!

Ovadiah concludes his prophecy by relaying God’s promise that the wicked Edomite regime would be destroyed, and would never again bother Israel. The flame of Israel will be rekindled, “the House of Jacob shall be fire, and the House of Joseph flame, and the House of Esau shall be straw…” (v. 18) and we will see the eventual positive outcome of this tragic war, with Israel reclaiming “the Negev and Mount Esau as well, the Shephelah and Philistia. They shall possess the Ephraimite country and the district of Samaria, and Benjamin along with Gilead.” Remember that Philistia is Gaza, and the Ephraimite country, Samaria, and Benjamin makes up most of the “West Bank”, while Gilead refers to the general area around the Golan Heights. We are seeing this happening right before our eyes now.

Finally, “the exile of the Children of Israel, that have gone to be kna’anim as far as Tzarfat, and the Jerusalemite exile as far as Sepharad, shall possess the towns of the Negev.” (v. 20) In the times of Ovadiah, Tzarfat and Sepharad referred to places north of Israel, in what is today Lebanon and Turkey. Over time, just as Edom became the Roman Empire, Tzarfat became France and Sephard became Spain. Interestingly, when looking back at Jewish texts from around 1000 years ago, we find that there is mention of Jewish communities distinct from Ashkenazi and Sephardi, called Tzarfati Jews and Kna’ani Jews. The Tzarfati Jews are a bit better known because of great figures like Rashi, but we hear very little of the Kna’ani Jews. Who were they?

“Kna’ani” was the label for those Jews living in Eastern Europe, among Slavic peoples. Intriguingly, they were called Kna’ani because in Biblical parlance “Canaanite” was synonymous with being a “slave” (since Canaan was cursed with slavery). The Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe were a major source of slaves in Roman and Medieval times; in fact, the root of the word “slave” is slav! This is why Jews living among the Slavs were nicknamed “Kna’ani”. Over time, the Kna’ani Jewish community fused together with the Ashkenazi community originally rooted in Germany, and most of the Tzarfati community in France (while many in southern France fused with their nearby Sephardis). Meanwhile, following the Spanish Expulsion the Sephardi community fused together with North African and Mizrachi communities. Thus, in effect, when Ovadiah speaks of Kna’ani, Tzarfati, and Sephardi Judeans in exile, he is really referring to all the major groups of Jews today.

Very soon, all Jews still in exile will return to a stronger and larger and more prosperous Israel, “For liberators shall march up on Mount Zion to wreak judgment on Mount Esau; and dominion shall be God’s.” (v. 21) May it come speedily and in our days.

Shabbat Shalom!

Things You Didn’t Know About Samaritans

In this week’s parasha, Ki Tavo, we read how God commanded that when the Israelites cross into the Holy Land, they should first make a stop upon two special mountains: Mount Gerizim and Mount Eval (Deuteronomy 27:12-13). The Tribes of Israel should split between the two mountains; six of them would set up on Mount Gerizim and six on Mount Eval. Then, a series of blessings would be proclaimed from atop Mount Gerizim, and a series of curses from atop Mount Eval. The people would answer “amen!” to signify their agreement. This would serve as one final reminder of their covenant with God before they settle down in their apportioned lands and get on with their new lives.

Har Gerizim in 1912

Today, that mountain of blessing, Mount Gerizim, is still venerated by the world’s last community of Samaritans, numbering less than 1000 people. About half of them live in the Israeli city of Holon, and the other half live around Mount Gerizim itself, in the village of Kiryat Luza, once part of the Biblical site of Shechem and currently the Palestinian town of Nablus (an Arabic corruption of the Roman title Neapolis). For the Samaritans, Mount Gerizim is the holiest place on Earth. They believe this is supposed to be the true location of the Holy Temple. They believe this is where Abraham bound Isaac during the Akedah. They believe this is the mountain upon which the Mishkan first rested, and where sacrifices to Hashem were originally brought. In other words, Gerizim is the Samaritan “Jerusalem”. Who, exactly, are the Samaritans? Continue reading →