Tanach Tiyulim

31/10/2021

Biblical archeology, gorgeous nature reserves, a jeep tour of the Ramon Crater and warmer weather on our two-day tiyul to the

Negev

Tuesday and Wednesday, January 18th – 19th



We will leave the winter weather behind us and travel south to the desert. This two-day tiyul will introduce us to the unique life styles of the desert and the relations between the border communities and the marauding desert tribes in Biblical (and modern) times.

We will visit the ancient Biblical cities of Tel (Beer) Sheva and Tel Arad, take a nature walk through the gorgeous Ovdat Nature Reserve, appreciate the career of David Ben Gurion at his kibbutz home, enjoy an unforgettable jeep tour of the Ramon Crater and delight in the ibexes which will greet us in Mitzpeh Ramon.

We will stay in the Pundak Ramon Hotel in Mitzpeh Ramon. Please note that the hotel, which has four levels, does not have elevators. I will make every effort to ensure that we get rooms on the lower floors.

Cost: 1400 shekels per person (double occupancy). An "Early Bird" price of 1,300 shekels per person will be offered for reservations paid before November 10th.

For more information feel free to call me at 052-4228601

20/10/2021

Below you will find three public tours which I am offering in the next few months. Although I will probably add a few later in the fall, I especially wanted to apprise you of the exciting two day Negev tiyul in January which will require early registration (see note below in the description of that tiyul). The other two tiyulim will be limited to the first 25 people who register due to logistical issues so if you are interested, don't delay.
I look forward to seeing you!

Ezra


Herodion
Monday, November 22nd
10 AM – 1 PM.
We will visit Herodion, the magnificent palace which Herod built in order to impress the most powerful people in the Roman world, where he was eventually buried, and which today is probably the most impressive archeological site in the country.
Uncovering Herodion's architecture, gorgeous frescos and other artwork, combined with the fascinating story of Herod's life and death, was the task to which the great Israeli archeologist Ehud Netzer z"l dedicated his life and where he too ended his life, a few dozen meters from the mausoleum of Herod the Great.
The site has been completely overhauled and preserved in recent years and the final product truly deserves an in-depth visit.
The tour will be limited to the first 20 people who register in order to ensure a quality, educational and enjoyable experience.

125 shekels
P.S. Transportation is by private cars. I will attempt to make shidduchim between people who drive and those who need a ride.

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The amazing archeology collection in the
Israel Museum
Monday, December 13th
1 PM – 4 PM

The Israel Museum's warehouse, where they store artifacts which are not on display, would be a fantastic place to visit. Thousands of items from the times of the Avot, of Yehoshua, David and Shelomo HaMelech, late Bayit Rishon, Bayit Sheini, Bar Kochva etc. can be found there.
Well, I cannot take you there. But the archeology wing of the museum houses the "superstars" of Israeli archeology and we will spend an afternoon there.
Avodat HaShem and Avoda Zara, gorgeous mosaic floors, a first Temple period mikdash, ancient ostraca with some of the oldest Hebrew letters and words, Bar Kochva coins and so much more will vie for our attention.
The tour will be limited to the first 25 people who register in order to ensure a quality, educational and enjoyable experience.

120 shekels
(90 shekels if you are a member of the Museum)

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Biblical archeology, gorgeous nature reserves, a jeep tour of the Ramon Crater and warmer weather in our two-day tiyul to the
Negev
***Please note that this tiyul will take place in early to mid-January although the exact date has not yet been set. Due to the nature of the hotels in Mitzpeh Ramon I cannot commit to reserving rooms until I have an indication of how many people are seriously interested in coming. Therefore, if you are seriously considering attending, please let me know as soon as possible. You will then be asked to deal with payment in order to ensure the "early bird" price.

We will leave the winter weather behind us and travel south to the desert. This two-day tiyul will introduce us to the unique life styles of the desert and the relations between the border communities and the marauding desert tribes in Biblical (and modern) times.
We will visit the ancient Biblical cities of Tel Beer Sheva and Tel Arad, take a nature walk through the gorgeous Ovdat Nature Reserve, enjoy an unforgettable jeep tour of the Ramon Crater and delight in the ibexes which will greet us in Mitzpeh Ramon.

Cost: 1400 shekels per person. An "Early Bird" price of 1,300 shekels per person will be offered for reservations paid before November 1st.


--
Ezra
052-4228601

04/10/2019

Look forward to seeing you on one fo these tiyulim during chol hamoed. Gemar tov!

The New Upscale Neighborhood in Yerushalayim……
(in the 1920s)
Tuesday, October 15th

We will walk through ever-evolving Rechavia as we learn about this new, avant-garde 1920s neighborhood which was later associated with its "yekkish" population and its high percentage of doctors and professors.
We will focus on the ever-changing street names, the variety of shuls, famous yeshiva heads and rabbis, professors, generals, archeologists and other fascinating personalities who lived in what used to be the home of Yerushalayim's elite.
This tour will take place on Tuesday, the first day of chol hamoed Sukkot and is appropriate for people keeping two days of chag.

2:30 PM – 5:15 PM
140 shekels
p.s. To arrange payment, if you are keeping two days of chag, call me at 052-4228601
Three Crucial Eras in Yerushalayim's History
Friday, October 18th

We will walk through Yerushalayim's old city where 3,000 years of history will vie for our attention. With Tanach in hand, we will learn of the governmental crisis (yes, even then….), entangling political alliances and miraculous but unclear military victories in the time of King Hizkiyahu (late 8th century CE). We will also deal with Yerushalayim of the late second Bet Mikdash period, combing many Talmudic stories and references to the amazing archeological finds in the Herodian Quarter and the southwestern wall excavations.
Along the way, we will stop at a number of War of Independence sites.

9:30 AM – 1:00 PM
175 shekels
(price includes entrance fees)

15/11/2018

I often talk about runoff of rainwater as a source of water in BIblical and Talmudic times. Take a look at the following link (https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5403912,00.html ) to see the area of Ein Gedi a few hours ago .

כביש 90 נחסם לתנועה באזור ים המלח בעקבות שיטפונות. המשטרה ביקשה כבר בצהריים ממטיילים בנחל צפית והאזור לעזוב את המסלולים. הגשמים יתחדשו לקראת הלילה ומחר. בשבת: מזג אוו....

28/03/2018

Aliyah to Yerushalayim
throughout history
Tuesday, April 3rd

This tour will examine the mitzvah of Aliyah Laregel (religious pilgrimage) to Yerushalayim as it was fulfilled during the Biblical and second Temple periods. Who came? How many? What problems did they encounter?
We will also deal with the responses of King Chizkiyahu and the prophet Yishayahu to the Assyrian siege which reached its climax (according to Chazal) on the first night of Pesach (look for the reference towards the end of your Seder!).
Time permitting, we will witness the amazing wealth of the upper classes on the eve of the destruction of the second Bet Mikdash and view evidence of the Byzantine city of Aelia Capitolina, in a time when Jews could only dream of visiting Yerushalayim and lived with the hope that "מהרה ייבנה בית המקדש".
You will finish this tiyul with a clear understanding of the complex history of Yerushalayim in these time periods.

10:00 AM – 2:30 PM
160 shekels


Who Ever Heard of Gezer?
(not the carrot…)
Wednesday, April 4th
Join us on our visit to the city of Gezer (half an hour from Yerushalayim), one of the most important but least known Biblical cities.
As we look out towards the coast and ancient "Via Maris" (road along the sea) we will be amazed by the massive walls of the Canaanite city, the unusual gate built by Shlomo HaMelech, the ancient water system and the early inscriptions which were found in this city, one of the most important cities in ancient Jewish history.
While in Gezer, we will see an Israeli version of the Stonehenge whose origins and original significance are as unclear as their British "cousin".

10:00 – 2:30 PM
250 shekels
***Please note that this tiyul will only take place if there are a minimum of 15 participants.

Who Are Our Heroes?
A Visit to Har Herzl
Sunday, April 8th
As we approach Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut, we will learn about and revisit the resting sites of those who enabled us to celebrate.
Thousands of people are buried at Har Herzl, including the famous. Yes, we will visit the famous. But we go will visit Har Herzl for another reason. We will stand beside those who died so that we could realize the 2,000 year old dream of living in a Jewish State-- to hear stories of their sacrifice and heroism and to feel the awe of meeting those who helped to create our modern nation and then defend it.
The stories of Gush Etzion and the Jewish Quarter in 1948, the officer buried here more than a decade ago whose picture still cannot be publicized, the black hatted Rosh Yeshiva who closed his American yeshiva for an afternoon in 1982 so that all would attend the funeral of one soldier; these stories will make a deep imprint on you as we approach Yom HaZikaron.
In order to fully understand the price of establishing and maintaining a modern Jewish State after nearly two thousand years of exile, this is where you start.

2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
120 shekels

25/12/2017

Tanach Tiyulim
052-4228601
718-928-6597
[email protected]

Below you will find the description of tours which we are offering during the month of January.
I suggest registering early so that you will not be closed out. If necessary, you can always cancel a week before the tour with no charge.
Feel free to recommend these tours to friends or relatives who will be here in the coming weeks.
I look forward to seeing you !!

Ezra

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Archeology, Organic Agriculture
and the "Birds and the Bees" in Bet She'an
Thursday, January 18th

This tiyul takes us to the warm Bet She'an Valley where we will visit the amazing, ancient city of Bet She'an whose monumental structures, destroyed in massive earthquakes, are still extant. The ancient tel and the cosmopolitan city with its public bathhouse, public latrine, theater, mosaic floors and other monumental buildings will occupy us as we walk through the broad 1600 year old streets.
Our visit will also include the fascinating "bio-tour" in Kibbutz Sdei Eliyahu which has been unanimously acclaimed by everyone whom I have taken there. We will walk through the fields of this unique, religious kibbutz which is among the world leaders in organic commercial agriculture and the ever expanding field of natural predators which replace dangerous chemical sprays used to protect crops from various pests.

8:30 AM – 6:30 PM
250 shekels

Yerushalayim
from late Bayit Rishon until the Sixth Century
Sunday, January 21st

We will walk through the homes and streets of Yerushalayim, from late first Temple period until the sixth century.
This tiyul will give us a glimpse of the Assyrian siege in the time of King Chizkiyahu and the prophet Yishayahu, the amazing wealth of the upper classes and the terrible famine at the eve of the destruction of the second Bet Mikdash whose signs of destruction we will witness, along with evidence of the Byzantine city of Aelia Capitolina, the "Jewless" Jerusalem.
You will finish this tiyul with a clear understanding of the complex history of Yerushalayim in these time periods.

9:30 AM – 2:00 PM
140 shekels


In the Footsteps of the Sanhedrin
Monday, January 22nd

This tiyul will focus on the Sanhedrin. When and where was it established? Was it related to the Knesset HaGedola? And where was that established? Where did it meet?
Our tiyul will take us to two of the main Sanhedrin sites, to Bet She'arim and Tzippori. We will read and analyze many of the stories concerning Rabi Yehuda Hanasi, visit his home town and spend most of our time in the city where he spent his last 10-20 years. His relationship with the Roman leadership and, on the other hand, with some of the more extreme rabbis, will be discussed.
The beauty of Tzippori, with its amazing mosaic floors, will also occupy us as we understand the place of "modern" art in the world of the rabbis of the Talmudic period.

8:30 AM – 6:00 PM
250 shekels

10/12/2017

Chanuka Samayach!
Below you will find the tiyulim which we will be offering during the next few weeks. All of them will be to areas where we will hopefully enjoy warmer weather conditions.
The Chanuka tiyulim will both return to Jerusalem in time for candle lighting.
Looking forward to seeing you on these tiyulim!

Ezra

Kumran and the Mosaic Museum
Monday, December 18th

We will visit Kumran, the home of the Dead Sea group which was one of the important sects of Am Yisrael at the end of the period of the second Bet Mikdash. We will learn about them and their unique lifestyle while witnessing the archeological remains of their town which attest to their unusual religious life style.
Our tiyul will continue to the Museum at the site of the "Inn of the Good Samaritan" where we will enjoy some of the amazing mosaic floors which adorned religious buildings in Judea and Samaria including a few of the synagogues.


Following in the Footsteps of Yehoshua
Tuesday, December 19th

This tiyul will follow in the footsteps of Am Yisrael; starting from the 40th year when they camped at the foot of the Moabite Mountains, dealing with the story of Yehoshua's spies, crossing the Jordan River and concluding with a site used by Am Yisrael for worshipping God in the initial period after crossing into Eretz Yisrael.



Biblical Be'er Sheva and Jewish/Roman Bet Guvrin
Wednesday, December 27th

We will visit "Tel Sheva", one of the Biblical tels designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (they haven't rescinded the recognition yet…), which truly deserves that recognition. This city serves as a prime example of what life was like at the periphery throughout history and especially late in the late First Temple period.
After lunch we will stop at Bet Guvrin (not the bell tunnels) where will visit the main city of southern "Palestina" during the Roman period. Its archeological remains are, by far, the most impressive in the southern part of the country.


Biblical and Second Temple Period Archeology at the Israel Museum
Monday, January 1st

You may have been here before but going on a guided tour makes all the difference.
We will travel through the country and walk through time, seeing the amazing artifacts which are on display in the finest collection of Jewish archeology in the world.
Canaanites, Philistines, Assyrians and Romans - enemies of ours who are long gone… but they left many things behind! Biblical sites, one of a kind Bayit Sheini (second Temple) artifacts, Herod, Hadrian, Bar Kochva coins and their Talmudic connection, ancient synagogues, the earliest Hebrew writing, the silver Birkat Kohanim amulets and even Aphrodite will vie for our attention.

** Please note that the group will be limited to the first 20 people who register.

20/06/2017

*********New Tiyul*********

Places you haven’t seen in the GOLAN

Sunday and Monday: July 9th–10th
We will combine a "new" historical site; the magnificent archeological site at the Hellenistic city of Sussita, which overlooks the Kinneret, with relatively unknown sites related to Israel's wars: from a battle site of King Achav in the 9th century BCE to Tel Facher, site of a problematic but inspirationally heroic battle in 1967, to the miraculous story of Tel Saki in the Yom Kippur War. At each site, we will appreciate the combination of human heroics and the miracles which God bestows on the armies of Am Yisrael.
Additional "lighter" stops will balance the serious nature of these historical sites.
We will return late to Jerusalem before 7:00 PM since 17 B'Tammuz is the next day.

02/04/2017

Below you will find most of our upcoming tiyulim including a special tiyul on the day after Yom Yerushalayim.

I look forward to seeing you on these tiyulim.

Please feel free to share these with your friends, your "friends" and your relatives.

Ezra
052-4228601
[email protected]
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What Else Did We Liberate on 28 B'Iyar in 1967?
Thursday, May 25th

In less than two months we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Yerushalayim עיר הקודש.

The day after Yom Yerushalayim, our tiyul will celebrate the liberation of the rest of the tribal areas of Yehuda.

We will renew our relationship with Kever Rachel, proceed to Me'arat HaMachpeila and end our day viewing the new movie which tells the story of the moving and heroic story of the four kibbutzim in Gush Etzion.

Our tour will deal with these sites while also focusing on the June 1967 battles which liberated them.

Rechavia
Friday, April 14th
10:00 – 12:45

We all know the neighborhood of Rechavia and some of us live there. But who knows how and when it started? Who lived there? When did the "Yekkes" arrive and why were there two "Yekkish" shuls there?? Where is the "giraffe" playground and what used to be there? What was really supposed to be on the site of the Gymnasium High School and why, in a neighborhood whose streets are (almost) all named for North African, Spanish and Provencal rabbis, why are there streets named for Menachem Usishkin, Chaim Arlozorov (and who were they?) and the Keren Kayemet?

All this and more as we walk through the shaded streets of what used to be Yerushalayim's most exclusive area.

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Herodion
King Herod's "Piece de Resistance"
Tuesday, April 18th - 1PM – 4:30 PM

15 minutes from Jerusalem stands the amazing mountain palace and fortress of Herodion, undoubtedly one of the most impressive sites in the country. Join us as we examine its history and learn its story: in the time of Herod, during the Great Rebellion and during the Bar Kochva Rebellion. See the shul, the mikvaot, the mausoleum, the crawl tunnels, the water cisterns, the bathhouse and much more.

Our tour will also include a discussion of Herod himself; his career, personality and "Jewish" status.

Herodion is still an active archeological site and provides surprises and new discoveries whenever we visit.

Note: This tiyul involves a bit of climbing.

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Khirbet Kayafa
The Most Important Biblical Site
Discovered this Century!
Sunday, April 16th
9:00 AM – 1:30 PM

Khirbet Kayafa (or Qeiyafa as it is spelled by the archeologists), is arguably the most important Biblical archeological site discovered in the past few decades. Discovered in 2006 by Professor Yossi Garfinkle of Hebrew University, it has provided the scientific and archeological evidence which proves categorically (for those who question the accuracy of the Tanach) that there was a strong monarchy in the center of the country in the 10th century BCE, which we refer to as Malchut David (the Davidic dynasty).

We will return to this fascinating site and deal with the background, the archeological finds and their significance.

Together with Professor Garfinkle's later finds, including the second ostracon (inscribed piece of pottery), we will attempt to reconstruct the original purpose of this hilltop in the Bet Shemesh region
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Har Herzl - Walking Tiyul
Who Are Our Heroes?
Tuesday, April 25th, 3 PM – 6 PM

As we approach Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut, we will learn about and revisit the resting sites of those who enable us to celebrate.

Thousands of people are buried at Har Herzl, including the famous. Yes, we will visit the famous. But we mainly visit Har Herzl for another reason. We will stand beside those who died so that we could realize the 2,000 year old dream of living in a Jewish State-- to hear stories of their sacrifice and heroism, and to feel the awe of meeting those who helped to create our modern nation and then defend it.

If you want to feel what it means to return to Israel after nearly two thousand years of exile, this is where you start.

12/01/2017

Jeep tour of the stunning Ramon Crater, gorgeous nature walk in Ein Ovdat, Ben Gurion's kibbutz hut and the magnificent view from the Ben Gurion couple's burial place, the altar near Beer Sheva which was dismantled by King Hizkiyahu in the late first temple period. All this and more on our two day Negev tour on Tuesday-Wednesday, January 24th and 25th.

There is still limited availability.

For registration or information call me at 052-4228601 or by email at [email protected].

11/12/2016

I still have limited space on a wonderful two way trip to the Jezreel and Bet Shean Valleys next Sunday and Monday (December 18-19) This tiyul includes major Biblical sites such as Megiddo and other sites from the period of the Judges along with the monumentlal Roman-Byzantine city of Bet Shean and the ancient synagogue at Bet Alfa.
We will conclude our trip with the amazing Bio-Tour in Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu - among the world leaders in organic agriculture and natural pesticides.

Please share this information with friends or relatives who will be here next week!

For more information feel free to call 052-4228601 or email me at [email protected]

30/11/2016

Two day tiyul - Megiddo, the Jezreel Valley and the Bet She'an area
Sunday – Monday, December 18-19th

We will visit Israel's breadbasket which is also the site of many events in Biblical history. Our first day will begin with a visit to the monumental tel at Megiddo, continue at Ahab's summer palace and conclude on the Gilboa Mountains, the site of the death of King Shaul,
Our second day will be spent in the warm Bet She'an Valley where we will visit the amazing ancient city of Bet She'an whose monumental structures, destroyed in the massive earthquake which hit Israel in the year 747 are still extant. We will continue to the beautiful mosaic floor in the Bet Alfa Bet Knesset and end our day in the fields of Kibbutz Sdei Eliyahu at the fascinating tour of "Bio-Bee" Industries who are world leaders in organic agriculture and natural pesticides.
We will stay at the beautiful guest house in Kibbutz Nir David which was founded in 1936 as part of ""חומה ומגדל ("Tower and Stockade"), during which tens of communities were established in British Mandate times.
For more information feel free to call (052-4228601, 1-718-928-6597) or email me ([email protected].
Look forward to seeing you!

07/10/2016

Treat yourself to two wonderful days in the Galil after Sukkot!
There are only three rooms left on our tiyul to the Galil which will focus on Jewish life in the Galil from the late second Temple period until the end of the Talmudic Era.
We are staying in "Amirei Hagalil" - a beautiful spa hotel not far from Tzfat.
For more information visit the website (www.tanachtiyulim.com) or call me at 052-4228601
Gemar Chatima Tova

ezra

27/08/2016

Just posted my tiyul schedule for Sukkot and the days immediately following the chag, including a wonderful two day tiyul to the Galil which deals with how the synagogue developed from the second Bet Mikdash period until the end of the Talmudic Era.
Please check out my website www.tanachtiyulim.com or call (052-4228601, 718-928-6597) for details.

13/07/2016

I found a picture of one of the Hukok mosaics, referred to in the post below, in a recent National Geographic magazine It is a depiction of the fish in the Red Sea eating one of the Egyptian soldiers.

07/07/2016

Last night I went to a wonderful lecture and presentation given by archeologist Professor Jodi Magness of UNC. Jodi has been digging at a town called Hukok not far from the north western corner of the kineret for the past 6 seasons.

Although most of the findings have not yet been published, Jodi spoke about the ancient synagogue which she discovered and showed pictures of the mosaic floors which adorned it. On the synagogue floor one can see a series of Samson stories, an amazing depiction of the animals arriving, two by two, at Noah's ark and what may be an account of the meeting of Shimon Hatzadik with Alexander the Great, when he arrived in Eretz Yisrael.

Only a few of the pictures which have already reached the internet and I have copied them below.

According to Jodi it will be a few years until the site is open for visitors. When it opens, we will be there!

29/06/2016

Tomorrow!

REVISIT JEWISH HISTORY THROUGH THE AMAZING ARCHEOLOGY WING OF THE ISRAEL MUSEUM !!!!

You may have been here before but going on a guided tour makes all the difference.

We will travel through the country and walk through time, seeing the amazing artifacts which are on display in the finest collection of Jewish archeology in the world.

Canaanites, Philistines, Assyrians and Romans -enemies of ours who are long gone… but they left many things behind! Biblical sites, one of a kind Bayit Sheini (second Temple) artifacts, Herod, Hadrian, Bar Kochva coins and their Talmudic connections, ancient synagogues, the earliest Hebrew writing, the silver Birkat Kohanim amulets and even Aphrodite will vie for our attention.

Thursday, June 30th
12:30 -15:30