Nitzavim

This week I had the privilege of meeting one of the most influential people (actually THE most influential person) in Israel in terms of settling Judea and Samaria, Benny Katzover. A group of American tourists came to Israel, and the tour-organizer asked me to make contact with Benny and translate for the group. Benny meets groups for free, he does this for ideological reasons, not for money. He is religious, Zionist, and if not for him, perhaps Samaria would still have no Jewish communities today. I met the group and Benny in Elon Moreh, near the city of Shchem (Nablus), and it left me feeling so filled-up, it was such an amazing experience. It lasted one hour, but it felt too short. I felt like I could spend a whole day with this person. He speaks English well, but still prefers to speak Hebrew and be translated because it is easier for him to speak Hebrew.
Benny's wedding was the very first Jewish wedding in the city of Hebron after 2000 years. He later started the settlement movement in Samaria, as young man in his 20's. At those days he was anonymous and unknown, but he managed to meet with General Ariel Sharon, with Shim'on Peres and other influential figures who helped him in his endeavor. It is SO amazing to listen to him in that place, and I truly recommend to every person who is coming to Israel to visit that man and hear his story. He is really like a biblical figure, so devoted and so influential. Samaria is flourishing now and has so many Jewish communities and it is all thanks to his devotion.
The group was a Christian group and they were impressed with him so much. I want everyone to hear his story and the history of Samaria. The Israeli government was mostly against him and his group when they first started, but he kept fighting for this cause, settling Samaria again and again until the government gave up and allowed it. He really is like a modern-day King David. He showed us an area near Elon Moreh from which you can see three of the borders of the State of Israel, including the Gilad mountains in the east, the Mediterranean in the West, and Mt. Hermon in the north, all from one view point - on good visibility days.
Elon Moreh is right near Mt. Eival and Mt. Grizim, the mountains of blessing and curse. He told us how archaeologist Adam Zartal dug there and found a structure from the times of Joshua Bin Nun, that has no windows and no doors, and it has a ramp... that is, he found the altar on which the initiation ceremony of the Nation of Israel in Eretz Israel took place. There, he also found burnt ashes and bones of animals - a laboratory test revealed that all the bones are from Kosher animals, most of them males, and most of them one year old. These are the exact specifications for the whole-burnt offering (Korban Olah). Prof. Zartal also found seal stamps of the Pharaoh of the time of the exodus - there, near the altar! It was buried in a nicely dug pit - probably hidden there by the Jews who have just arrived from 40 years of wandering in the desert after leaving Egypt. It is so fascinating to listen to this. I feel like I should write about it more in length, but Shabbat is just around the corner.
Benny's main message was that a few major Jewish beginnings took place in Samaria, near the city of Shchem (Nablus) and this is why it is so important that we resettle that area of Israel. First, the promise of the Land to Abraham took place there. Second, when Jacob returned to Israel after running away from his brother Esau, he stopped there. Third, when the Jewish Nation returned to Israel after 40 years in the Sinai desert, they did the initiation ceremony there, on Mt. Eival and Mt. Grizim. I don't remember the other points, but they were as impressive. In short, we have all the right in the world to reclaim our land. The tour guide showed me a picture of Nablus from 100 years ago. It was a tiny Arab village with very few houses, nothing like the huge sprawling city that it is today. Where did all these people come from? It is not thanks to birth, because if that was the case, Nablus should have been a huge city long ago. It is due to immigration. When we Jews started returning to the Land of Israel, Arabs from nearby countries came in to be employed in agriculture and other areas. Most of the Arabs living in Israel today are the descendants of those immigrants, not of the few native Arabs who lived here before we started returning. Anyway, it doesn't matter, G-d has a plan, and it will be fulfilled, this way or the other. We have to do good and watch Him do good.

I'll try to write more perhaps after Shabbat.