Historically Rich Nachlao©t

It was unavoidable. You had to be downtown to take care of some things. The hassle and noise, not to mention traffic both human and vehicle, are overwhelming. You go under the archway on Rechov Agrippas opposite Binyan Klal, and step out of the racket of the 21^st century and into a different world.

 

The place you came to escape too from your hectic shopping spree is the tiny weenie park of Mazkeret Moshe in the cluster of 32 neighborhoods known collectively as Nahlaot -the Homesteads.  The Hebrew word nahlaot is the plural of nachala – homestead. Many refer to them today as Lev Ha’Ire, lev equals 32.

It’s relaxing here, even though it’s not really a park and has only one children’s “shoots and ladders” structure and a little rocking horse. Set up opposite the Chabad shul, here in this “parka’leh,” you can contemplate the history of the exodus beyond the walls of the Old City. Today Jerusalem is so far flung that it is hard to comprehend that its expansion only started about 152 years ago. 

Today Jerusalem is so far flung that it is hard to comprehend that only started about 152 years ago. Maybe we are today witnessing the fruits of thousands of Shemoneh Esreis where Jews requested the building of Yerushalayim. Yes, of couse physical growth is not the aim. We want a Jerusalem that is Yerushalayim Ircha which according to Rav Avigdor Miller ZZ”L means all the citizens in the city will be Yeray Shamayim fulfilling HaShem’s Will. Nevertheless, we see with our own eyes that our beautiful is Yerushalayim heading in towards this goal.

There are five neighborhoods named for Sir Moses Montefiore in Yerushalayim: Mazkeret Moshe (1882), Ohel Moshe (1885), Yemin Moshe (1895), Zikhron Moshe (1906), and Kiryat Moshe (1928).

Rav Yosef Rivlin, whom people nicknamed Yasha der Shtetl Macher (Yosef the town maker, i.e. builder) because of all the Jerusalem neighbourhoods he set up, engineered the construction of Mazkeret Moshe in 1882.

Originally (1877), this area was meant be part of Mishkenot Yisrael where140 homes were to be built. However, lack of funding due to the deprecation of money in the wake of the war between Russia and Turkey and the lack of water (following a heavy drought) to mix the cement in order to build, allowed for only 40 homes to be constructed here. The rest of the plot was sold to the organization of Keren Mazkeret Moshe. A committee in London to honor Sir Moses Montefiore on his ninetieth birthday had set up this organization for building housing in Eretz Yisrael.

In the original plan, Mazkeret Moshe was meant to be for Ashkenazim, and Ohel Moshe was  to be established alongside it as a Sephardi neighborhood. In those times the accepted thing was that each eidah (community) lived in its own area. But again, the lack of funds changed the original plan.

The Sephardi muchtar Izcak Armosah was approached to provide funds for financing the building of homes in Mazkeret Moshe. (Rav Armosah was the nineteenth generation of his family in Jerusalem.) He agreed on condition that Sephardim were also given homes in this neighborhood. So a quarter that had both Sephardi and Ashkenazi residents was established.

Mazkeret Moshe was set up on taharat hakodesh. The people of the area were reluctant to open businesses, as they feared they might cheat someone inadvertently. However, there was a need for livelihood, and slowly shops were opened in Mazkeret Moshe. Mazkeret Moshe became the hub of trade and craft, and it had a bakery, a carpentry shop, and more.

The buildings were built next to Jaffa Road, a principal throroughfare, yet all the façades of the houses all look inward toward the courtyard.

In the late 19th century, Arab marauders and wild animals roamed unchecked in the rocky and uncultivated terrain and living outside the strong city walls built by sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, was quite dangerous and very terrifying. That is why the new "neighborhoods" consisted of a square of one or two story buildings, surrounding a central courtyard with a water-hole in the center. The entrance would be locked and barricaded at nightfall. The few windows on the walls that faced outwards were very small to prevent intruders.

Life was also directed inwardly physically and spiritually. They lived insular lives. The mothers spent their time next to the water cistern as the children played in the chazer.

The whole of the Nachlaot area is a fascinating lesson in the history of Jerusalem. Gentrification (the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas) is gradually taking over the area, and housing prices have risen steeply. However, in the tiny lanes and alleyways, you will see people living much as they did 100 years ago. Amid the hanging laundry, many pleasant surprises await the explorer-- unanticipated shuls, unpredicted little shops, and even a stained glass workshop.

In Nachlaot, it doesn’t take much imagination to project yourself into Jerusalem of yesteryear.

Mice-sers©

Hashem gave us a beautiful world to enjoy and savor. Magnificence is all around us, we need only to open up our eyes. Besides the inherent loveliness within nature, nature is also there for us to learn from by examining different natural phenomena. The Mishnah says that we can sometimes learn how to conduct ourselves by observing the behavioral patterns in animals.

Let’s have a look at two types of mice, and from these “mice-sers,” let’s see what we can learn .

The first is the Yaaron which  is actually the little field mice we probably all know. They are actually quite cute, that is if they don’t show up in your kitchen cabinet. This type of mouse has prominent ears, a long tail, and two long hind legs that allow him to jump.

These mice inhabit forests, grasslands, and cultivated fields. Almost entirely nocturnal, they are mainly active during the dark, and are very good climbers. They have extremely small but sharp claws which help them burrow extensively and build nests.

This mouse has been proven to be extremely intelligent. If given time, it will think out a strategy before doing something. It judges whether or not it is too risky, dangerous or useless to do something. These mice also look out for each other and call each other to eat if they have found food. The Gemorah says this trait marks them as rashaim since they do not take into consideration if the food-stocks they discovered belong to someone else before they invite their friends to party. 

 The Yaaron are primarily seedeaters, and in winter in deciduous woodland, they will eat acorns and sycamore seeds. They carry the seeds and acorns back to their burrows for storage.

The acorns are heavy seeds and they usually fall near the mother tree where they would not be able to grow into another “big” tree. The fact that the Yaaron mouse takes the acorns to its nest and then discards them allows oak trees to multiply.

This wonderful symbiosis (interaction between two or more different biological species that benefits both of them) is found many times in nature. It can instruct us how to help others, even if they differ from, so that all of us can benefit.

The second kind of mouse is more of a rat, called Chuldah HaAliyah.

It eats pinecones. We find two types of gnawed upon pinecones. One that has tidy-rings around it and the other is chewed in a number of different places in a jumbled way.

Now a disciplined young rat listens to his mother who shows him to eat the pinecone from the top going around downwards in circles until the bottom. This is the best way to access the sweet pine-seeds. However, if this rat is rebellious, as some of them are, he will eat the pinecone any-which-way, and he will go hungry even after much hard work.  Take this to heart: In life choose the paved and proven road that has been tread by previous generations in order to achieve sweet success.  

Machtesh Ramon

Machtesh Ramon is considered by some to be the most beautiful site on the planet. Located south of Be’er Sheva in the central Negev, not only is Machtesh Ramon among the most spectacular geological sights in Eretz Yisrael, but it has within it some unique geological formations that are not found anywhere else on earth.

A machtesh (erosion cirque, or box canyon) is a geological window, peeking into the Earth’s crust, that exposes a geological display. Unique to the Negev and Sinai deserts, only seven machteshim have been identified: Machtesh Ramon, Machtesh Hagadol, Machtesh Hakatan, and two even smaller ones on Har Charif, all in the Negev. There are also two in the Sinai.

The term machtesh is a new geological term, borrowed from the word machtesha (“mortar,” as in

mortar and pestle). Both the Machtesh Katan (Small) and the Machtesh Gadol (Large) look like mortar bowls in which grains are pounded with a pestle. This appearance does not hold true for Machtesh Ramon, which is stretched out and narrows at one end, and resembles the shape of an elongated heart.

These enormous, craterlike machteshim are neither meteorite craters nor volcanic calderas, although they are frequently described as craters. Machtesh Ramon is an erosion landform, actually a valley, surrounded by steep walls and drained by a single “wadi” (riverbed). The name Ramon is probably from the Arabic “Ruman” meaning “Romans,” and probably linked to a trail that the Romans built here.

Machtesh Ramon has some impressive measurements, making it the largest machtesh in Eretz

Yisrael, and thus the largest on earth — as no other part of the globe contains this phenomenon. The crater is 45 km long, 2-10 km wide (28 miles long and 5 miles wide), and 500 meters deep.

Its deepest point is Ein Saharonim (Saharonim Spring), which contains Machtesh Ramon’s only natural water source, a source that sustains much of the wildlife in the machtesh, including ibex and onagers. The onager, or wild ass (the Biblical pereh), was an animal that had disappeared from Israel. In 1983, two herds of onagers were successfully re-introduced at two locations — Machtesh Ramon, and another site in the Arava Desert. It is the smallest of wild horses and cannot be domesticated. In Roman times, the meat of the onager was considered a delicacy.

Other animals in the vicinity include the leopard, striped hyena, sand fox, Dorcas gazelle, and the fat desert rat. A variety of plants grow in the Ramon area, including Atlantic pistachio trees, buckthorn, globe daisy, tulips, and other bushes and shrubs.

Machtesh Ramon contains many types of rocks, including clay hills known for their fantastic red and yellow colors and forms, and much diverse colourful sandstone.

At the borders of the crater, impressive mountains rise. Har Ramon (Mount Ramon), at the southwest corner of the machtesh, is one of the highest peaks in the Negev (3,400 feet — 1,037

meters). Har Ardon (Mount Ardon) at the northeastern end, and two table-like mountains — Har

Marpek (Mount Marpek, meaning “Elbow”) and Har Katum (Mount Katum, meaning “Chopped”) — are along the southern wall. Givat Gaash, a black hill in the north of the machtesh, was once an active volcano. Shen Ramon (Ramon’s Tooth) is a rock made of molten rock which hardened while underground. This black, sharp-edged rock later rose up through cracks in the Earth’s surface, and today stands in striking contrast with the nearby creamy-colored southern wall of the crater.

In the center of the machtesh is Haminsara (the Carpentry Shop), a low hill made up of black prismatic rocks. It is the only place in the world where prisms made of heated sand turned into liquid, which in cooling naturally formed rectangular and hexagonal prisms that look like woodchips left behind by an indifferent carpenter. Also, vertical dikes of magnum that squeezed upward through fissures can be seen at various spots through the machtesh.

The ruins of a large Nabatean stone structure known as Khan Saharonim are found in the machtesh. It lies along the ancient Incense Route, a trade route used by the Nabateans, and is what remains of a “caravanserai,” a roadside inn where the travelers would rest and recover from the day’s arduous journey before continuing on. Dozens would gather and camp together and then regroup before moving forward, in an effort to protect themselves from bandits hiding out in the desert.

This structure acted as a way station for the traders and their animals (khan is the Arabic word for a caravanserai) as they proceeded further westward to the Mediterranean seaport city of Gaza. Not far away, to the north, are the ruins of the ancient Nabatean city of Avdat. The rise of the Nabateans began around the 3^rd or 4th century B.C.E. These traders traveled in caravans from Arabia and made their capital in Petra, in what is now southern Jordan. They eventually controlled trade in perfumes and spices and built numerous fortresses along the branch of the Spice Route cutting across the Machtesh Ramon area. Part of their success in the harsh desert environment was due to their ingenuity in conserving water.

The Nabateans built dams, terraces, cisterns and reservoirs that were very efficient in collecting rainwater and irrigating crops. Elements of this water system survive and can be seen today. (Hebrew University archeologists have rebuilt part of the system and created a farm that successfully utilizes the Nabatean farming system.)

Machtesh Ramon offers plenty of hiking routes and adventures for desert-lovers. There are numerous pathways throughout the area for both the casual and serious hiker. The spectacular views, the exclusive geological phenomena, and the tranquility and quiet of the desert merge into one harmonious picture of total beauty in Machtesh Ramon.

Anyone planning to drive down towards Eilat should seriously consider passing through Machtesh Ramon. You will be agape at the beauty surrounding you.

I would like to thank Rav David Magence (tour guide) for his additions and corrections to this article. He can be reached at (02) 652-1238

The Miracle of Snow©

Some thoughts by Harav Avigdor Miller, zt”l, recorded on tape no. 203

Snow is a miracle similar to the falling of mann, but it happens so frequently (at least in New York where the Rav was speaking) that we have become deadened to its impact.

From the earliest times until today, the beauty of the snowflake was appreciated and used as artistic designs. If we would put snowflakes under a microscope and examine them, we would be amazed at their symmetry and many forms. …

One of the purposes of different shaped snow crystals is so that when they fall on each other they should remain loosely packed and fluffy. The bays and inlets on their edges keep them independent of each other. Even when great masses of snow fall, each and every snowflake maintains its identity to some extent, and the result is that a lot of air is imprisoned in the snow blanket. This is one big chessed we must study. As Dovid Hamelech says, “He who gives snow like wool.” Snow has the same kinky property that wool has. This is “imprisonment” of air, which warms a person.

Wool itself cannot warm; it gives off the same heat as linen. It is the air trapped in the wool that keeps one warm. The linen fibers are straight, and therefore the air escapes and does not keep the heat in, making it cool to wear. The snow blanket is kinky and keeps the air inside itself, thus protecting the earth from freezing solid. If the earth would freeze, then when spring would arrive, it would take ages for this solid mass to defrost.

In the earth live “inhabitants of the earth” (mishpachos haadamah) that are needed for human existence. The humble earthworm that plows the earth, by swallowing it and then excreting it, thereby fertilizing it, lives not far from the surface and would freeze to death if not for the snow blanket.

There are also other “citizens” who live in the earth, such as ants and beetles, who deserve our applause. They keep on digging into the earth and aerating it. This, also, is essential for man’s existence. They, too, are protected by the snow, which keeps them alive.

Even small animals such as rabbits and chipmunks frolic under the snow, kept nice and warm as Eskimos in their igloo.

Let us not forget all the seeds — the strawberries, the corn and rhizomes of wild flowers, etc. — in the ground that would perish if not for the snow blanket.

Say you had a blanket that kept you warm all night and in the morning, you would get up and eat it for breakfast. Such a blanket has not yet been invented. However, this in truth is what snow is. It keeps the earth warm all winter, and in the spring it thaws and is eaten (absorbed) by the earth, coming forth as vegetation.

When you see snow, you are seeing food. “He throws his snow like bread.” The icy sidewalk is “pieces of bread” — but it would be uncomfortable to walk on bread, so Hashem send it in the form of snow. In truth, you are seeing next year’s “mezonos” — for this snow and ice will turn into food.

Man is 80 percent water. You came down in a snowfall and settled on a field. Someone with big boots trampled you down. You eventually turned into wheat that was cut, milled and shipped. It became bread and matzah that your parents ate, and this is where you come from. So the snow you saw falling last week is the tender of cheder children that you will be seeing in six or seven year’s time.

Snow falls white and fluffy. Snow is water. Is there such a thing as fluffy water? Also amazing is that it white. Water in a glass is colorless. Water in large quantities in lakes and seas appears to be blue and indigo, maybe green.

The nes in snow is its whiteness, which repels the sun’s rays and thus retards melting, allowing snow to last longer. It would melt 75 percent more quickly if it was blue or green. In addition, the slow melting prevents a lot of runoff water. The fact that snow falls feathery and fluffy also prevents a lot of runoff.

Everyone knows that when you have a glass of hot tea the best place to hold it is at the bottom, for this is the coolest part, as the heat rises to the top. In lakes and ponds, we expect the cold water to fall to the bottom. Yet the water changes its nature completely and a strange thing happens: After reaching a certain degree of coldness, it stops sinking and begins rising. The colder it gets the more it rises. The warm water sinks, and HaShem makes the top freeze over to protect the fish and other water life. If the water would not behave so, it would freeze solid. All the fish and marine life would die. It would take ages for the water to thaw. In addition, after it thawed, as the fish and vegetation would no longer be there to keep it fresh, the whole the body of water would stagnate.

Mount Gilboa—Katef Shaul©

Many guide books claim that the best time to visit the Gilboa is in the late winter when the majestic Iris Yaynei (Iris HaGilboa), a purple iris, blooms and covers the mountain. But anyone who has seen the splendorous beauty of the place will agree that a visit to the Gilboa is worthwhile any time of the year.

Each season here has its own charm in this stunning, tranquil area. The mountain’s normally mild winter days offer the clearest panoramas, yet in the summer the cool breeze in the place provides a break from the intense heat.

The Gilboa mountain range lies in the north of Eretz Yisrael, reaching 1,600 feet (650 meters) above sea level at its highest. Although not high in terms of mountains, it is in a region surrounded largely by valleys and lowlands — which provides a strong contrast — making the area so glorious.

Mount Gilboa is part of the lower Galilee’s eastern gateway between the Jezre’el Valley (Israel’s breadbasket) and the Jordan Valley. Some very pivotal episodes in our history occurred around this area.

 In sefer Shoftim (ch. 7) we are told that Gideon set up camp at Ein Charod, which is identified by many as a spring at the foot of Mount Gilboa. The army of Midian was camped beyond the hill opposite the Gilboa Range, called Givat Hamoreh. This hill was so called because it was used by people as a moreh et haderech, a “signpost” to gauge directions.

After Shaul and his three sons, Yonason, Avinadav and Malkishua (see Shmuel I, 31) were slain on Mount Gilboa, Dovid Hamelech cursed Mount Gilboa as it had been the site of such catastrophic events. Since Shaul’s slaughter of the kohanim of Nov was one of the reasons for his tragic death, Dovid wanted to make certain that the area of the Gilboa, where Shaul was killed, would not give produce again. The trumah of fields is given to kohanim. Dovid wanted to ensure that kohanim would not come to the Gilboa in quest of their deserved gift-offerings and thereby re-arouse the accusation against Shaul. Even today, despite all the planting done by the Keren Kayemet l’Yisrael of thousands of trees, there are noticeable bald spots on these hills, and one summit remains entirely bare.

 When visiting the Gilboa, bring your Tanach along and read Dovid’s beautiful, poetic lament; here in the place where the incident actually occurred, it is especially meaningful.

Directions to Gilboa’s ‘Katef Shaul’

Make a right turn at the “Taanachim” Sargel Juntion onto Road 675. Pass Jezre’el Junction and then make your next right onto the “Gilboa Scenic Route” (Road 667), studded with magnificent views in all directions. On your right is Mount Gilboa, with the mountains of Shomron (Samaria) just beyond. On the Shomron slopes, the Palestinian city of Jenin can be seen clearly.

Continuing down the road, on your left you will come to a turn-off for “Mount Shaul,” also known as “Katef Shaul” (Saul’s Shoulder). There is a wonderful place for a picnic and a playground in the forest.

Further down, at end of this road is a parking lot. The circular trail (marked green) on Katef Shaul, to an overlook of the Jezre’el Valley, is an easy one and well worth taking, as the view is simply spectacular. Through a break in the pine foliage on this 500-meter-high ridge, you will see a “window” that opens onto a vista affording a view of Biblical events.

It is said that from this spot Shaul Hamelech gazed out at the Philistine army camped at Givat Hamoreh, the day before he was killed. Ein Dor, the home of the Baalat Ov he visited, can be viewed across the valley nestling in the hills.

In the adjacent valley is the Spring of Charod where Gideon was housed before routing the Midianites. Tel Yizre’el (Jezre’el Mound), the home of Achav and Izevel (Jezebel) in the ancient Kingdom of Israel, is also observed.

At Tel Yizre’el the vineyard of the Navot Hayisraeli was reconstructed with an impressive orchard of native Israeli trees (see Melachim I:21).

Beit She’an, where Shaul’s body was hung after the battle on Gilboa, is also seen. Beyond, to the east, the tip of Mount Tabor can be seen. This is the place where the heavenly bodies fought Sisra on behalf of Devorah Hanevi’ah and Barak. The mountains of the Jordan Valley can be observed, and on a clear day, you might even glimpse Mount Hermon to the north. Known as the Charod Valley, this part of the Jezre’el valley is full of sparkling fishponds and colorful fields that attract great numbers and varieties of birds, including pelicans, cormorants, storks, seagulls and ducks.

Most of what is today a scenic road is what used to be known as Patrol Way prior to 1948. Every spring, usually in Adar, people flock to the Gilboa Mountains to see the Gilboa iris in its lush violet colors. This flower (Iris Haynei) that was first described in 1876 is well-known in Israel, and its distribution is restricted to the Gilboa and northern Samaria Mountains. It is a protected flower, and its area of growth now is a nature reserve. The gorgeous purplish blooms are so striking that they have become the logo of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.

Wild Flowers of Eretz Yisrael©

Eretz Yisrael, located at the junction of three continents, is the meeting place of diverse climates and vegetation zones – and home to over 2,500 plants!

Obviously, it would be impossible to discuss them all in one article. However, in honor of Tu B’Shevat we will focus on some pre-spring and spring flowers.

Eretz Yisrael is covered by a mantle of flowers and leafy growth from mid-Shevat until about the end of Iyar (usually February to June, depending on the year). This is not to say flowers are lacking at other times of the year. But the abundance of flora in this period turns the country into an enchanted wonderland. Even the most casual observer cannot help but be impressed by the colorful floral display. Nature blooms with hundreds of herbs, shrubs, climbers and trees, which contribute their color and fragrance. Some of the vegetation is common and plentiful, whereas other strains are rare and unusual.

Shkeidiah – Almond

The flowering of the almond — shkeidiah, marks the beginning of the “breaking of winter cold” in the Holy Land. What a grand sight — the majesticshkeidiot in bloom, with their delicately scented blossoms of gentle color, dotting the Israeli landscape.

The almond tree and its fruit are calledluz in Tanach and luza in Gemara.    The word shaked means “quick” in Hebrew, indicating that the almond is one of the first summer fruits to ripen. In some species the fruit develops even before the leaves appear.

Yirmiyahu Hanavi (1:11) saw a branch of an almond tree, signifying that punishment was imminent. Almond trees have grown in Eretz Yisrael since ancient times. When Yaakov Avinusent his son Yosef, the viceroy of Egypt, “the best fruits of the Land,” almonds were included (Bereishis 43:11). The Rambam writes, “Almonds are the best of fruits.” It is well known that almonds are extremely nutritious and have many medicinal qualities.

The almond motif was part of the divine design for the Menorah (Shemos25:33-34, 37:19-20). According to some opinions, Moshe was instructed to make the bowls of the Menorah in the shape of almonds. Others say that drawings of almonds were engraved on the bowls. Ibn Ezra says the reference to the almond blossoms in Koheles (12:5) alludes to the whiteness of the hair of old age. Rashisays that the fact that the almond, which sprouts before any other tree, is mentioned in the pasuk is to illustrate old age, which comes and overtakes one all too quickly.

Kalanit – Crown Anemone

Another early bloomer is the crown anemone, known as the kalanit. The most common of the flower is bright red. When the British ruled in Palestine (1917-1948) their soldiers wore red berets and they were called “kalaniot” by the local Jewish populace.

These flowers also come in a variety of colors — white, cream, pink, purple, blue among them. Generally, the non-red anemones are more common in northern Eretz Yisrael, where they start flowering in late winter. This photo was taken on Har Hakalaniot, which is part of the Gilboa Mountain. Kalaniotare protected flowers.

Pereg – Corn Poppy

As spring progresses, red beauties that could be mistaken for kalaniotappear. These flowers are actually members of the poppy family. They are called pereg in Hebrew and thought to be the pre-runner to the cultivated poppy. Many times, they create large, sparkling red areas in northern and central Israel. The seeds of this annual herb can remain dormant under the soil for up to 80 years and then they will suddenly spring into life. How reminiscent of techiyas hameisim!

Rakefet - Cyclamen

Prolonged in their flowering season, cyclamens are profuse, beautiful and fragrant, making them highly beloved. Called rakafot in Hebrew, there are different strains growing in our Land. The rakefet mezo’eiah (mezo’eiah means found) has flowers ranging in color from white to deep shocking-pink, and heart-shaped leaves. On Mount Meron and in the Golan Heights one can find rakefet yavanit with smaller flowers and round leaves.

After pollination, a rakefet’s flower stem coils downward, allowing its flower head to droop down near to the ground and shed the ripe seeds into the nearby soil, thereby ensuring the continuation of the species in abundance.Rakafot are also protected wildflowers.

Charziah- Daisy

The daisy family (charziot in Hebrew) abounds in Eretz Yisrael. The crown daisy grows in fallow lands, fields and along roadsides in most of Israel. When evening falls, the daisy flower bends down to shield its centre, in which the seeds develop.

Chalmit – Mallow

Mallows are edible plants widely used as food. In the War of Independence when  Jerusalem was under siege, the common mallow provided food for many of its residents. The leaves were used to prepare salads, fritters and soups. Children would hold contests, competing to see who could collect the most of the of the plants’ bread-like edible fruit.

The flowers of the chalmit are insect pollinated and exhibit distinctive markings on the petals which lead the insect to its center. Here the pollen and nectar are stored. This plant is found in abundance all over Israel, especially in places that have been inhabited by man for a long time.  This is because it benefits from the high levels of nitrogen in refuse heaps.

Gezer Haginah – Wild Carrot

There are at least seven species of wild carrot in the country. The ancestor of the garden carrot grows very tall. In Hebrew it is called gezer haginah, carrot of the garden. Wild carrots were probably cultivated in ancient Israel. But the common use of carrots as a vegetable and their present modern form dates from medieval Europe. The wild carrot grows in profusion all over Israel.

The crown flower is also of the carrot family. It is an annual plant and grows in fields and along the roadside.

Neot Kedumim©

Much of the 625 acres (2500 dunams) of the Neot Kedumim nature reserve, located 10 minutes from
Ben-Gurion Airport, was transformed into replicas of regions in Biblical Israel. Neot Kedumim was
built, so to speak, with the Tanach in one hand and a spade in the other.

Hundreds of Biblical and Talmudic plants and trees were planted. Domestic and wild animals and birds were brought in to enhance the setting.

Upon driving into Neot Kedumim, to your left is a pinewood forest with natural rock gardens covered
in hundreds of cyclamens, rakefet, of different shades of pink and scarlet. [The rakefet season is in
the early spring and is relatively brief.]

The area is a wonderful place to learn about the flowers of Eretz Yisrael since each trail has signs
detailing the plants bordering it, with their relevant pesukim from Tanach. Each placard is numbered,
and the Hebrew, Biblical, and English name and family of the corresponding plant can be looked up
in a plant-identification list that is given to you with your entrance ticket.

Three of the four trails are both wheelchair- and stroller-friendly. The last trail, D, is not suitable for

this type of access. The pergolas and benches, placed in strategic points along each route, provide you with a shaded place to rest and study the displays nearby. For instance, the ascending benches near a Hasmonean village on Trail A can seat a large group. Excavated alleys, houses and courtyards with cisterns and mikvaos from the early period of the Second Temple are seen here. There are also underground getaways which were used in times of danger. On display are a reconstructed arch from the 4th to 7th century CE and a reproduction of a typical Roman sundial. Grape and olive presses can be viewed and examined in great detail, with certain hands-on activities as well.

The view in all directions is pastoral and impresses the viewer with such expansive beauty that it feels liberating. Looking northwest, in the far foreground you can see Petach Tikva, with the tall buildings of Tel Aviv behind it. To its left you can see Cholon and Bat Yam. To the north, you see Arab villages with the security fence around them — perhaps a jarring sight compared to the spectacular scenery. To the east, Jerusalem is hidden from view by high hills; to the far south Kiryat Sefer is visible.

An open-sided tour train takes visitors around to view this beautiful nature reserve in its entirety. Each train seats 50 adults or 70 children. On regular days, the train ride must be ordered in advance, while on Chol Hamoed there’s no need for reservations.

Directions
Neot Kedumim is located on Route 443 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, 10 minutes from Ben-Gurion Airport. From Jerusalem, one needs to take two Veolia buses. First, take Bus No. 110, whose departure is from Kiryat Hale’um in Yerushalayim (it then has stops at central locations; check with

Veolia for the exact route). Get off at Shilat Junction (before Modiin), and from there take Connex Bus No. 111 (in the direction of Tel Aviv).

The bus stops at the entrance to Neot Kedumim.
For exact times of buses, phone *6686.

Admission Times & Prices
Neot Kedumim is open Sunday-Thursday, 8:30- 16:00; Friday and Erev Yom Tov, 8:30-13:00.
Admission is NIS 25 per adult and NIS 20 per child.
There are special family activities during Chanukah and Chol Hamoed of Sukkos and Pesach, and different entrance fees apply at these times.
For more information, call 08-977--0770.

Moshav Gimzo and Shikmah (Sycamore) Trees©

In the early 1970s the Jewish Agency decided it wanted to dismantle Moshav Gimzo. At that point there were only about 20 families living in the place and it was not paying off financially. Rav Avraham Baruch Rosenberger, z”l, the moshav’s Rav, wrote to ask Harav Yoel Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe, z”l,  what to do. The letter the Rebbe wrote back is preserved in the home of the present-day Rav of the moshav, Rav Eliav Meir. Therein the Rebbe stated clearly, “A place in Eretz Yisrael we do not leave.”

Moshav Gimzo is a place we could all do well to learn from. There are many stripes of frum Yidden — Chassidim, Litvaks, Sephardim, Ashkenazim, Agudistim, Mizrachim, Shas supporters, etc. — all living in harmony and friendship, with mutual love and respect.

The moshav was founded on 11 Adar 5710 (February 28, 1950) by Hungarian chassidim from a group called Etz Chaim, affiliated with the Po’alei Agudas Yisrael Party, on the outskirts of the Ben Shemen Forest. Situated in the western plains at the foot of the Judean Mountains, it is located between Lod and Modi’in at the major crossroad of Route 1 and Route 433, which are both main arteries leading to Jerusalem.

We find Gimzo mentioned in Divrei Hayamim II, 28:18. Here Hashem sent the Philistines to conquer cities of the lowlands and the south of Yehudah, among them Gimzo, as a punishment for King Ahaz who had led Yehudah to disgrace and betrayed Hashem.

Gimzo’s name is thought to derive from the orange/yellow fig-like fruit, “gomez,” of the sycamore (shikmah) tree which was once abundant in this area. In the mishnah in Shvi’is, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says in his demarcation of the land for be’ur that “A sign of the plains (lowlands) is sycamore trees.”

He bases this on the verses from Melachim I, 10:27 and Divrei Hayamim II, 1:15, which tell us that Shlomo Hamelech made cedars in Yerushalayim as plentiful as sycamores in the lowlands. The Tosefta says that at the time Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel gave this definition, the Romans had so devastated the land that the sycamore of the plains were greatly reduced.

The sycamore, the “ficus sycomorus,” belongs to the same family as the fig tree. Its name comes from the Greek sicon (fig) and moros (blackberry bush). The sycamore’s leaves are similar to the blackberry bush and its fruit is similar to the fig. The Navi Amos was a dresser of sycamore trees. This involved slitting the top of each piece of fruit to hasten its ripening and to produce a sweeter, more edible fruit. The process prevented insect infestation.

From Egyptian sources we know that in ancient times the sycamore tree was quite common in the Nile valley. Egypt was known as “the land where the sycamore tree blooms.” In addition, its fruit was called “fig of Pharaoh.” The Egyptians considered the tree’s shade a delight. With its wood they built coffins for their mummies. In Tehillim we are told how the plague of hail struck the Egyptian sycamore trees.

The Gemara in Bava Basra speaks of the sycamore and its extraordinary regenerative powers.

Its branches were used as beams to build homes, but the tree was like a self-producing “factory,” as each time its branch was cut off it would grow a new branch. Even if it was chopped down to the ground, it restored itself and grew new limbs. Sand could cover it completely (branches and all) and it would still survive. Hence its Hebrew name shikmah, which is related to the word shikum meaning rehabilitation.

When a field was sold, it was self-understood, even if not specified, that the shikmah trees and self-grafted carob trees were not included. Yeshayahu (65:21-22) compares the rehabilitation and regeneration of Am Yisrael after years in exile, to a tree that the Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah) identifies as the sycamore.

It is said that the Tanna Nachum Ish Gam-zu lived in Gimzo. He always said “Gam-zu l’tovah”

(This too, is for the best), a play on the name of his hometown. During the Bar Kochva rebellion (in the years 132-135 CE) there was great destruction to the Jewish settlement in the land. The country’s great earthquake of 364 CE caused many Jews to leave the country. The difficult economic and security situation at the time also contributed to the exile.

The Roman Empire slowly crumbled, losing its hold on the area, and 408 CE saw the end of 500 years of Roman-Byzantine rule. It would seem the Arab village of Jamzo was settled some time during the Ottoman period. The village was east of today’s Moshav Gimzo on the Tel-Gimzo.

In 1917, the British, under the command of General Edmund Allenby, took control of Palestine. As the British 52nd division advanced to Jerusalem through the Beit Horon Pass, they spent time at Jamzu.

During the 1948 War of Independence, “Operation Dani” was planned to free Lod, Ramla, Latrun and Ramallah, so as to allow supplies up to the besieged Jerusalem. There is mention of Jamzu in these plans. On July 10, 1948, the religious company of the Palmach conquered the settlements of Anabe, Jamzu, Daniel, and Dahariya. These settlements had already been abandoned (except for a few aged or sick villagers).

As Jamzu is a strategic crossroad and gateway to the Judean Hills, the Arab Legion tried (unsuccessfully) to retake it.

In the early 1950s at a meeting in Kfar Saba, Holocaust survivors who were Satmar and Vizhnitz

chassidim decided they wanted to set up a place to be able to farm and keep all the mitzvos of Eretz Yisrael. Moshav Gimzo was the result. In 1951 a group of olim from Morocco was settled in the moshav by the Israeli government, to enlarge the population.

The first years were excruciatingly hard. The land was difficult to farm and barely gave any parnassah. Many left. At that point the exchange of letters between the Rav and the Satmar Rebbe, zt”l, mentioned above took place. Then there was an influx of new people.

Rav Rosenberger made sure Shabbos and Shemittah were always kept. His chassidishe shtiebel, with all its minhagim still functions today and attracts many in the moshav who are not chassidish to daven there. Many people come specially to spend Shabbos or Chagim to Gimzo.

The moshav has grown substantially, having absorbed new families, and has built a new neighbourhood with housing for Gimzo’s newer generation. Today this beautiful, vibrant, growing moshav has a population of 230 families, and about 1,150 people live there.

The major forms of agriculture in Gimzo are deciduous trees such as peach, citrus, apple, plum, etc., as well as olive trees and vineyards for table grapes and for wine. There are many residents of Gimzo who work outside the moshav in different fields of endeavor.

On Moshav Gimzo is a white igloo type of building, surrounded by beautiful gardens. In it is a Judaic art studio — Shesh Moshzar. It was established 20 years ago by Yehudah and Miriam

Aranne. They produce magnificent aron hakodesh covers, Torah mantles, chuppahs, tallis- and tefillin bags, challah covers, bris pillows, wall hangings, kesubos, and general artwork. For more information on their artwork that travels worldwide, and to visit the igloo in Gimzo, call 08-928 5513.