25 Lectures
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Derech Hayam – lecture 1
Introducing the site: The Ancient International Highway – “Derech Hayam”. Where did this highway pass? What are the important biblical sites along the highway? And what road passes there today? This lecture will include a quiz that presents initial questions and answers about the site.
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Derech Hayam – lecture 2
We will get to know the route of the “Derech Hayam” – from Egypt to Mesopotamia. We will see on the map why this road is so important. We will start from its southern end, which is called in the Torah “The Road of the Philistines”. Why didn’t God take the Israelites from there when they left Egypt? An analysis of the verses in the Torah will raise many interesting questions
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Derech Hayam – lecture 3
If avoiding the “Road of the Philistines” after leaving Egypt was to avoid war, then they also encountered war at the Red Sea! So what was the real reason for avoiding the short and direct road? We will see different explanations, arriving at an interesting hypothesis: The Israelites had to go through a long process in order to free themselves from dependence on Egypt, to be truly free and not slaves in spirit. That is why God led them into the desert!
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Derech Hayam – lecture 4
Why doesn’t “Derech Hayam”, go along the sea? Studying maps and understanding the topography of Biblical times will clarify many interesting things for us. We will focus on the question: Why does the road go eastward at a point called “Afek”? What is the strategic importance of “Afek” that made it such a central place in Biblical times? And where is “Afek” today?
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Derech Hayam – lecture 5
The first site we will focus on along the sea route – “Derech Hayam”, is Afek. Israel had two major battles with the Philistines, in the days of the prophet Samuel, between Afek and “Even HaEzer”. In one battle, there was a complete defeat and the destruction of Shiloh, and in the other, a great victory. The two battles did not take place in the same place, but the Tanach calls both places “Even HaEzer”! What is the message of the Tanach in using this name?
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Derech Hayam – lecture 6
We will make a linguistic comparison between the two battles of “Even HaEzer”, which were 20 years apart and in different places, but the Tanach tells of them in adjacent chapters and calls the two places “Even HaEzer”. The Tanach conveys a clear message here: that Israel’s perception in the first battle – that the presence of the “Ark of the Covenant” would help them – is mistaken. What helps to defeat the enemy is emphasized in the second battle: faith, prayer, repentance and most importantly – unity. Together we will win! יחד ננצח!
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Derech Hayam – lecture 7
This time too, we will compare two battles – the battle of Israel’s defeat at “Afek” and the battle of Israel’s defeat at Gilboa. They took place at different times and in different places, but the Tanach connects them – when it tells us, without any reason, that in the second battle too, the Philistines gathered at “Afek.” The entire story is also described in exactly the same words and phrases. What is the educational message that the Tanach teaches us by comparing the two battles? And how does this relate to the issue of the hostages in Azza?
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Derech Hayam – lecture 8
Another battle took place in Afek – 150 years after the battles from the previous lecture, and in a different place. But if the Tanach indicates that this battle too was in Afek, it is to teach us something related to the message of the Afek. We will see on the map the unique topography of the battle, near the Sea of Galilee. And we will ask – what caused Ahab, King of Israel, to make a surprising alliance with Ben-Hadad, King of Aram, just after defeating him in battle?
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Derech Hayam – lecture 9
An interesting connection to this week’s parsha (Shelah) and current events: Just as God did not take the Israelites by the coast so that they would not experience war and be afraid, so perhaps Moshe told the spies to go up the mountain and not to reach the coast so that they would not experience war and be afraid. But only Calev went to the mountain (Hebron) and the rest did not! Symbolically, during this lecture, the participants experienced war – a missile attack from Iran, on Israels coast – but, as seen on the video, were not afraid!
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Derech Hayam – lecture 10
One last battle in Afek during the time of King Yoash and the prophet Elisha, in which Yoash violates the prophet’s words and does not completely defeat his enemy. This enables us to summarize the message that emerges from all the Afek stories – in all of them there is a motif of not listening to the prophet’s words. We will see how this also fits with Ahab’s victorious battle that ended in the political alliance with Ben-Hadad, because of which Ahab received the prophecy about his death and the destruction of his kingdom
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Derech Hayam – lecture 11
Two symbolic and irrelevant stories in “Afek” and both for the same purpose. The story of the beaten prophet and the story of the beaten arrows, both are related to the idea of ”Afek” – disobeying the word of God and his prophet. Both came to teach an important message about combining divine action and human action. Both are necessary and rejecting either of them is to disobey the word of God.
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Derech Hayam – lecture 12
We will begin learning about the next stop on “Derech Hayam”: Megiddo. We will learn why Megiddo is so important in biblical times? We will learn about various events that occurred there and are told about in the Tanach, and as usual we will ask – what is the Tanach trying to teach us by repeatedly mentioning that these events occurred at “Megiddo”. Surprisingly, it seems that the spiritual message of Megiddo continues the spiritual message of Afek! Two adjacent stations on “Derech Hayam”.
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Derech Hayam – lecture 13
To understand why it is important for the Bible to state that King Yoshiyahu was killed at Megiddo, we will explain the historical and geopolitical background of the period. We will read the first historical testimony of the Battle of Megiddo by Thutmose III, found in an ancient inscription that recounts the war in detail. In preparation for Tisha B’Av, we will try to understand from all of this why the prophet Jeremiah lamented Yoshiyahu, and how this relates to the message of Megiddo and Derech Hayam.
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Derech Hayam – lecture 14
Tisha B`Av Chapter 4 of Lamentations (“איכה”) deals entirely with King Yoshiahu. What was Yoshiahu`s sin that, despite his righteousness, he was killed in the battle of Megiddo? The answer according to the Gemara fits in nicely with the theme of Derech HaYam: He did not consult the prophet. We will study the special lament for Yoshiahu that is still said on Tisha B`Av, in our “Kinot”. Finally, we will see how Rav Kook connects the death of Yoshiahu, the death of Ahab, and the death of Theodore Herzl! And how all of this is relevant to our own times.
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Derech Hayam – lecture 15
The next site we will learn about on “Derech Hayam” is: “Gezer”. Is “Gezer” connected to carrots? What does the word “Gezer” mean in the Torah? We`ll see several places where the word “Gezer” appears in the Torah and see the special connection between “Gezer” and Rosh Hashanah! On Rosh Hashanah we pray that God will seal our judgment (in Hebrew: “Gezar din”), the reason given for Shofar is “the decree of the torah” (in Hebrew: “Gezerat hakatuv”), and also – on Rosh Hashanah there is a custom to eat… Carrots! Is there a connection??
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Derech Hayam – lecture 16
After learning the meaning of the word “Gezer” in the Bible, let’s try to understand why the city of Gezer was called by this name? And in general – what is so special about “Gezer”? Why did the kings of Egypt always conquer Gezer and why did no Jewish leader ever conquer Gezer? Not Joshua, not the judges, not David, and not Solomon! King Solomon received Gezer as a wedding gift from Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. A somewhat strange gift… So what is the meaning of Gezer in the Tanach?
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Derech Hayam – lecture 17
The key to understanding Gezer is in the Torah instruction – not to return to Egypt by the way we came. Israel appear in history as an alternative to Egypt, and the way to Egypt is – Derech Hayam. That is why it was so important for Egypt to control it, and therefore no Jewish leader wanted to conquer Gezer – in order to stay away from the way to Egypt. And perhaps King Solomon was wrong when he agreed to accept Gezer as a gift, as he was wrong when he married the daughter of Pharaoh, the king of…
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Derech Hayam – lecture 18
Derech Hayam and Sukkot This lecture takes place immediately after Sukkot. We will prove that the Israelites did not live in structures called Sukkot, but rather in a place called Sukkot. A place, which is the starting point of Derech Hayam! A place that symbolizes the first time they were truly freed from Egyptian bondage. Following this, we will examine Egypt’s control of Derech Hayam throughout history, through the Amarna Letters, which help us to understand exactly the situation in the land and answer many of the questions we have asked about Gezer and Derech Hayam in General
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Derech Hayam – lecture 19
The last and northernmost site on Derech Hayam: Hatsor. The theme of Derech Hayam is to break away from Egyptian influence so as not to be enslaved by Egypt, which is why Israeli Kings never conquered Gezer. So why is the story of Hatsor different? Joshua conquers Hazor and destroys it and its king – Yavin, king of Canaan. Surprisingly, Hatsor is destroyed again in the days of Deborah the prophetess, and yavin, king of Canaan, is killed again (how is that possible?). So why is Hatsor so different from Gezer? Does it continue the Derech Hayam theme?
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Derech Hayam – lecture 20
Understanding the significant differences between Gezer and Hazor, helps us understand why Joshua conquered Hazor and burned it down and was not afraid of Egyptian influence. In a very interesting way, the burning of Hazor helps us determine exactly when the Exodus took place! A layer of ash found in Hazor and corresponding to the time of Joshua allows us to arrange all of biblical history – from the days of our Abraham, through the Exodus, the Temple, and up to the time of Alexander the Great!