By Nosson Shulman: Licensed Tour Guide of VIP Israel Tours & Authentic Virtual Tours (click here to check out his free trailer videos)

“Abraham took flocks and cattle and gave them to Abimelech; and the two of them entered into a covenant. Abraham set seven ewes of the flock…Abimelech said to Abraham ‘What are these seven ewes?” … And he replied “Because you are to take these 7 ewes from me, that it may serve me as a testimony that I dug this well. Therefore, the place was called Beersheba because there the two of them took an oath (Genesis 21: 27-31)”

Beersheba, also known as Ber Sheva, is perhaps Israel’s most underrated city for tourists to visit. Even most Israelis think of it as being “somewhere” in the desert.  This city offers world-class historic and battle sites (including the last Calvary battle fought in the history of the British Empire), interactive/state of the art museums (including many kid friendly ones), shopping, beautiful scenery, major biblical sites and more.

As a tour guide with an expertise in Beer Sheva (I have been consulted and interviewed in the media about it), I want to give you a glimpse into this “must see” city.

Today Ber Sheva, nestled on the edge of Israel’s Negev Desert, is one of Israel’s fastest growing cities.  There are currently 230,000 people living here, almost double the population of 20 years ago.  New neighborhoods consisting of high-rise condos and small villas, are being built constantly at relatively affordable prices.  Due to the city’s world-renowned university and medical school, 16% of the city is made up of students, the highest per capita in the country.  One third are engineers, a fact not lost on the world’s most powerful companies who want to take advantage of these brains. Companies including Oracle, IBM, Google and Lockheed Martin are building large offices and R & D plants in the new, multibillion-dollar technological park, located in the northern part of the of the city.  The Israel Defense Force (IDF), arguably the world leader in technological innovation, is set to move its Intelligence corps and Telecommunications /computers/ teleprocessing operations base to Beer Sheva.

The city has become known as the “Water City” because of its proliferation of gorgeous water fountains, and a new 22.5-acre artificial lake under construction.  This will be the largest artificial lake in the country, and the second largest lake overall after the Sea of Galilee.

This desert municipality has Israel’s best soccer team, the most shopping space per square mile in the country, and boasts more chess grandmasters than any city in the world!

So much can be said about Beer Sheba, but the biggest reason my tourists enjoy it so much is because of its rich history!

Beer Sheba is mentioned 34 times in the Bible.  The well-preserved archeological remains are a must see for Biblical enthusiasts. This was the place where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived and proclaimed the name of G-d (Genesis 21:33).  Here, G-d appeared to Abraham telling him to bring his son Isaac to Jerusalem in order to sacrifice him (Genesis 22).  In this city, Jacob received the blessing from Isaac, which incurred the wrath of Esau, prompting Rebecca to tell her son to flee from the land and only return when his brother’s anger subsided (Genesis 27 and 28).

Nine times in Tanach (the Hebrew Bible), the borders of Israel are mentioned as being from Dan (in the North) to Beer Sheva (in the south).  That is quite surprising when one reads Numbers 34:3 which clearly states that the southern border of biblical Israel is actually Nahal Tzin, about 50 kms (31 miles) further south.  Why is Beer Sheva therefore mentioned as the southern border so many times?  Because Beer Sheva is the southern border of “populated” Israel.  In ancient times it was nearly impossible to live further south due to the extreme heat of the desert, and civilization ended here.  That is why when Abraham expelled Hagar and his son Ishmael from his home, they strayed into the “desert of Beer Sheba (Genesis 21:4)”.

Indeed, when standing at ancient Beer Sheba one can see how just a little farther south, the extreme desert begins to take over the landscape in a dramatic fashion.

Ber Sheva itself had ample water because the underground water table was high.  One had to just dig a well and they would hit water, as Abraham and Isaac did.

When Joshua brought the children of Israel into the land, Beersheba was allocated to the tribe of Shimon (Simon) (Joshua 19:2).

Later King Solomon will build Beer Sheva as a storage city (most of the remains we visit today are from that time) and it will become the local capital of the region.  The city was tiny, at only 11 dunim (2.7 Acres).  Still, the urban planning was quite sophisticated.

As the provincial capital city, they collected taxes from the nearby cities. This was before actual money as we know it existed, so taxes were paid in goods such as grain, produce, oil and other commodities.  In the storehouse, the names of the cities who paid taxes were found on pottery.

One of the pots said “Holy”, suggesting that everything in this pot had been designated for use in Jerusalem’s Holy Temple (see Numbers 27).

One of the more interesting rooms, the one with the “altar”, is mentioned explicitly in the Bible.  Regarding Josiah, the righteous king who almost completely eradicated idol worship from the land, “He defiled the high places where…priests used to burn offerings from Geba to Beersheba…The one which was at the entrance of the gate…situated at one’s left (when entering) the city gate (2 Kings 23:8)”.  Indeed, when walking through the gate, the first building to your immediate left is this “high place”.

Interestingly, King Josiah was “smashing” places of idol worship in some parts of the country, while in other cases he only “defiled” them.  Why did he choose to “defile” this one and not destroy it?  According to Jewish sources, this particular altar was not used for idol worship, but in the service of G-d.  Although this was also forbidden, since once the Temple was built, it was forbidden to do sacrifices outside of the Temple, it still had a level of holiness.  Therefore, Josiah simply made it unusable by defiling them.

Perhaps the most unique feature of this site is its intricate water system.

Many of my tourists consider entering the water system to be the highlight of their visit!

There is so much more that can be said about Beersheba!  This article only gives a small glimpse of what there is to experience in this amazing city.  On your next trip, I highly encourage you to spend a day touring here.  Before you do, check this out: Beersheba Sample Itinerary

Nosson Shulman is a journalist and Licensed Tour Guide in Israel specializing in Biblical tours. To allow tourists to experience Israel during the Corona era, he created the new hit Israel tour video series which brings Israel to the home of viewers by simulating actual tours. To check out his free sneak preview tour videos, click here. To view sample tour itineraries or to inquire about private tour opportunities with a personalized itinerary on your next trip to Israel, click here.

© 2020 All Rights Reserved – Unauthorized Duplication is prohibited

By Nosson Shulman Licensed Tour Guide of VIP Israel Tours & Authentic Virtual Tours

“The Philistines assembled their camps for war…. They encamped between Socho and Azekah…in the Terebinth Valley…The Philistines were standing…on one side and Israel was standing…On the other side and the valley was between them…A champion went forth…Goliath of Gath (1 Samuel 17: 1-4).”

One of the advantages I have living in Israel is the ability to wake up every morning, look outside my window and see where the world’s most famous battle took place!  Of course, I am talking about the clash between David and Goliath.  Even if someone is not well versed in the Bible, it is highly unlikely that they haven’t heard of this epic duel.  Even today on sports networks when the best team is facing an underdog team, the announcers will compare it to “David vs Goliath”.

Today we are visiting an off the beaten track site, Tel Azekah, an Israelite city from Biblical times which was given by G-d to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15: 35).

After Joshua and his army defeated the city states of Jericho and Ai, the powerful city of Gibeon made an alliance with the Israelites (see previous article on Hazor where I discuss the structure of Canaanite city states Tel Hatzor).  Five Canaanite kings attacked Gibeon, to send a message that making peace with the Jews was not in their interest.  When they attacked, Joshua felt bound by his oath and came to their rescue.  As the armies of the 5 kings saw him coming, G-d put panic into their hearts and they were smitten, with the survivors fleeing all the way until Azekah, where a hail storm then finished off the rest (Joshua 10). According to Jewish sources, this was left over from the plague of hail in Egypt.  When Moses asked G-d to stop the plague, the remaining hail was saved for Azekah.

When the Babylonians conquered Israel centuries later, the last three cities to be conquered were the besieged cities of Jerusalem, Lachish and Azekah (Jeremiah 34: 6-7).  Indeed, excavators found a letter written by soldiers at Lachish, to be sent as a warning to fighters in Jerusalem, which said “We cannot see any more, the fire-signals of Azekah.” This “Lachish Ostraca” backs up the Biblical narrative which says these were the last three cities conquered.

The primary reason I take people to this site, is to relive this famous Biblical battle between David and Goliath the Philistine.

Who were the Philistines we read so much about in the Bible?

The Philistines were originally from Greece.  Beginning around 1200 BCE, for the next 800 years, the Greek Peninsula went through a depression called “The Greek Dark Ages”.  A certain Sea people left Greece and settled in Crete, where civilization hadn’t yet collapsed.  Due to volcanos and unrest, these sea people were once again uprooted.  Approximately 220 years previously, Egypt controlled Canaan, with the city state kings being tributaries.  With the collapse of Egypt’s empire, caused by the Exodus from Egypt (where Pharaoh’s army were drowned), there was suddenly a vacuum left with no one empire running the show.  The Jewish people entered from the Jordan River opposite Jericho (see yellow circle on the picture below) and took over almost the entire Mountainous region (see the large red circle below). The Philistines entered from the Sea and took over the entire coastal area (see below the flat dark green area between the red circle and the sea).

Although the Philistines had superior arms (due to the fact that they were one of the leading manufacturers of deadly iron weapons) they were not able to conquer and hold the more mountainous region, as their chariots required flatter land (Judges 1:19).

The Philistines oddly entered into Judean territory to wage war with confidence, even though they had just suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of King Saul (1 Samuel: 14). Just as strange, Saul and his men were too frightened to fight.  According to one Jewish source, G-d made it this way in order to bring King David into the picture, putting him in a position to succeed the throne.  G-d had just told Saul the kingship would be taken from him (1 Samuel 16).

The Philistines mobilized at Socho (see above map with black scribble) and the Jews at Azeka (blue scribble above) and the Terebinth valley, which gets its name from the trees growing there in abundance, was between them.

Each morning for forty days, the mighty Goliath (just under 13 feet tall and covered from head to toe with heavy armor)  approached the Israelite camp and said “Choose for yourself a man and let him come down to me. If he can fight me and kill me, we will be slaves to you. And If I defeat him…You will be slaves to us (1 Samuel 17: 8-9).”  As a side note, one can clearly see the Greek origins of the Philistines.  Nowhere in history, outside of ancient Greece, were wars fought between two heroes with “winner take all” stipulations effecting the entire nation.

While this was happening, Jesse asked his son David, who was shepherding his sheep in Bethlehem, to check on three of his older brothers on the battle field and bring them provisions (In ancient armies, it wasn’t uncommon for soldiers to supply their own weapons, clothes, food, etc.).  When David arrived, he saw a frightened army.  The situation was so dire, that Saul promised anyone who could slay Goliath his daughter’s hand in marriage (which meant wealth and a royal court position). When David heard Goliath disgracing “The battalions of The Living G-d”, he was disgusted and wanted to take down the Giant himself.  He began inquiring as to what the reward from the King would be for slaying the giant.  He already knew the answer, but wanted to engage people in discussion, hoping that word would travel back to the King that David wanted to fight.

Word did travel back to Saul and he summoned David.  He said “You cannot go forth…to fight with him, for you are a lad, while he is a warrior from his youth (1 Samuel: 17:33)”  In ancient times to be in this type of battle, one was expected to have at least a decade or two of war experience, while he had none.  David answered “G-d…will rescue me from this Philistine.”  When Saul heard this level of faith, he said “Go, and may G-d be with you (Ibid 17:37).”

David went to the valley’s brook and picked 5 “smooth” stones.

David put a single stone into his slingshot, aimed it at Goliath and hit him, causing him to collapse. David then cut off the giant’s head and the Philistines fled, thus removing their threat to Israel for a long time to come.  David married Saul’s daughter Michal, and with David now being in the Royal court, G-d had set the stage for David’s rise to Kingship.

I highly recommend visiting Azekah and the Terebinth valley on your next trip.  In addition to being historic and biblical, it offers some of Israel’s best panoramic views and wildflowers.  On the way we can even stop at the brook, where you can pick up one of the stones and take it home with you!

To see a sample Israel tour itinerary which can include Tel Azekah, see our Gaza Envelope Tour, Fun in the Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh Area Tour and our off-the-beaten track Biblical Sites Tour itineraries.

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Nosson Shulman is a journalist and Licensed Tour Guide in Israel specializing in Biblical tours. To allow tourists to experience Israel during the Corona era, he created the new hit Israel tour video series which brings Israel to the home of viewers by simulating actual tours. To check out his free sneak preview tour videos, click here. To view sample tour itineraries or to inquire about private tour opportunities with a personalized itinerary on your next trip to Israel, click here. 

© 2020 All Rights Reserved – Unauthorized Duplication is prohibited

By Nosson Shulman: Licensed Tour Guide of VIP Israel Tours & Authentic Virtual Tours (click here to check out his free trailer videos)

“Joshua…Conquered Hazor and struck it’s king by the sword…Hazor…The Leader of all those kingdoms. (Only) Hazor he burned in fire… All of the others…Israel did not burn (Joshua 11: 10-13).”

“King Solomon (re-built) …. Hazor (1 Kings: 9:15)”

Biblical Hazor is one of the premier archeological sites in Israel.  Many of the most epic events of the Bible took place here, and even UNESCO listed it as a world heritage site in 2005.  Such a world class treasure must surely be on the “must-see” portion of itineraries, right?  The shocking truth is that few tourists (even veteran tourists who are Bible literate) have ever even heard of it.  Despite my vast knowledge of Hazor, I have only guided here twice, both times to tourists who annually visit Israel, and only because I recommended it to them.  On the first visit, tears streamed down my tourist’s cheeks when she realized that she was literally standing in a place where G-d led His people in battle.

When people read about the “Land of Canaan” in the Bible, they think of a large kingdom encompassing most of modern Israel, but actually Canaan was made up of city states with their own kings who were often at war with each other.  According to the Bible, Hazor was the most powerful one.  In fact, excavations have shown Hazor to have been the largest Tel (archeological site) in Israel at 820 Dunams (or over 200 acres). To put this into perspective, David’s Jerusalem was only 61 dunams (15 acres).

The Al Armana letters (a series of ancient letters written between Pharaoh and other Kings) was discovered in 1887 by an Egyptian peasant.  These letters back up the Biblical account of Hazor being the most powerful Canaanite city state.  Egypt controlled the land of Canaan (at the same time the Hebrews were enslaved) and the local kings were Pharaohs’ tributaries.  Whenever powerful kings of empires like Pharaoh or the King of Mesopotamia wrote to each other, they always greeted each other as “Brother”, a sign of equality . Whenever a Canaanite king wrote to Pharaoh, they would start the letter with “To the king, my lord, my god, my Sun, the Sun from the sky, at your feet I bow 7 times forward and 7 time’s backwards…”. There was only one Canaanite King who dared call Pharaoh “Brother”:  The mighty king of Hazor.

Furthermore, Hazor is the only city in the entire Levant (i.e. the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan and Southern Turkey) mentioned in the famous Mari Archives of Mesopotamia.

Upon G-d’s command, Joshua will bring the Jewish people into Israel by crossing the Jordan River. The Canaanites were aware of G-d’s promise to His people (see Joshua 2: 9-13), but the city states in Northern Israel were not yet ready to submit.  King Jabin of Hazor was placed in charge of mobilizing an army composed of the citizens of the different cities. He successfully recruited a formidable force of warriors, horses, and chariots “As numerous as the sands of the seashore (Joshua 11:4)”.  This military was so intimating that even though   G-d had promised to deliver Israel into their hands, He felt it necessary to remind Joshua “Do not fear them (Joshua 11:6).”

The battle resulted in a decisive victory for the Jews.  In most cases, the infrastructure of conquered cities was not to meant be destroyed.  Instead the fields, workshops and homes were to be left intact for the benefit of the Children of Israel to live.  Hazor was an exception, and it was the only city which Joshua burned.  Indeed, excavations revealed this to be the only city destroyed in its entirety during that time.  Today when visiting the well-preserved ruins of King Jabin’s palace, the burn layer is clearly visible.

G-d also commanded Joshua to destroy the chariots (and make unsuitable for war) the powerful war horses he captured.  Why would G-d want them to be destroyed instead of being used by the Israelites in future battles?  According to Jewish sources, G-d did not want the Israelites to believe in the power of their arms, but to put their faith in G-d.  This was a supernatural war.  If the battles were conducted according to natural law, the Jews would not have been able to win. The people needed to know that if G-d was fighting this war, the extra weapons were not going to be their key to victory.

Centuries after the city was destroyed, King Solomon came and rebuilt it on the charred, Canaanite ruins.  King Solomon built many walled cities, but three cities are mentioned by name in the verse: Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer (1 Kings 9: 15).  In the latter 2 mentioned cities, excavators found city gates which have only been found in cities Solomon built. Archeologists call them “6 Chamber Gates”.

Therefore, when digging Hazor, Yigal Yadin (the famous Archeologist who dug Masada and also the second IDF chief of staff) expected to find a similar gate, which he eventually found and dug up.

The city was eventually destroyed permanently during the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Today one can visit Hazor’s impressive ruins, but people seldom do.  The silver lining is that when exploring this treasure, you are likely to be one of the few visitors here and will have this fascinating site mostly to yourself!

Nosson Shulmanis a journalist and Licensed Tour Guide in Israel specializing in Biblical tours. To allow tourists to experience Israel during the Corona era, he created the new hit Israel tour video series which brings Israel to the home of viewers by simulating actual tours. To check out his free sneak preview tour videos, click here. To view sample tour itineraries or to inquire about private tour opportunities with a personalized itinerary on your next trip to Israel, click here.

© 2020 All Rights Reserved – Unauthorized Duplication is prohibited

By Nosson Shulman: Licensed Tour Guide of VIP Israel Tours & Authentic Virtual Tours (click here to check out his free trailer videos)

“They placed the ark of G-d onto the wagon…. The Cows set out on the direct road…. to Beit Shemesh (1 Samuel 11: 11-12)”

I live in Beit Shemesh, which is Israel’s fastest growing city. In 1995 this sleepy town had only 17,000 residents, today the population stands at 130,000. Based on construction and demand, in 7 years this number is expected to increase to 250,000. From every vantage point, one can see new neighborhoods being built on the horizon

The majority of Beit Shemesh’s residents are observant Jews.  Olim (immigrants) from English countries like the U.S., Canada and U.K. make up a sizeable part of its population.  In some of the neighborhoods English, rather than Hebrew, is actually the more dominant language.  

Beit Shemesh was founded in the early days of the State of Israel.  It has grown to become an amazing place to raise a large family, having beautiful parks, great schools, many synagogues, and a low crime rate.  However, the story of Beit Shemesh did not begin in modern times, but in the Bible. 

Beit Shemesh can be translated as “The House of the Sun”.  Originally a Canaanite city, the city got its name from its inhabitant’s worship of the sun. 

Tel (Hebrew for Archeological mound) Beit Shemesh is literally across the street from the outskirts of the modern city. 

Beit Shemesh was conquered in the days of Joshua.  Situated on the border between the tribal territories of Dan and Judah (Joshua 15:10), it was one of the 13 cities given to the Kohanim (i.e. Priests who serve in the Temple) as an inheritance (Joshua 21:15). 

The most well-known story connected to Beit Shemesh involved the holy Ark of the Covenant, which had rested in the Tabernacle of Shiloh for 369 years. It was then stolen by the Philistines and brought to Ashdod.  While there, the residents of the city were struck with extremely painful stomach ailments while the statue of their idol Dagon was found destroyed in its temple.  Realizing that G-d might not be happy with their city possessing the Ark, they sent it to Gath, another Philistine city.  When its inhabitants were smitten with similar results, it was then sent it to Ekron, where the same occurred. At this point, the Philistines understood that perhaps G-d did not want any Philistine city to host the Ark.  

To test whether the previous afflictions were indeed divine retribution or merely a coincidence, the Philistines put the Ark on a wagon pulled by two cows, and placed them on the biblical route of Nachal Sorek.  If the cows headed towards Beit Shemesh, a Jewish city, they would take it as a sign that G-d wanted them to return the Ark to the Israelites.  This is, of course, exactly what happened.  

When the Ark arrived at Beit Shemesh, its residents “Were reaping the wheat harvest in the (Sorek) valley, when they…saw the Ark, they rejoiced to see it (1 Samuel 6:13).” But then all of a sudden, G-d brought a plague that struck down many residents of the city because they “Peered into the Ark of G-d”.  This was something they should not have done at their spiritual level.  

According to Jewish belief, the higher one is spiritually, the more G-d expects of him.  While peering at the ark in that manner may have been overlooked for most, the people of Beit Shemesh knew better at their level, and were thus judged harshly.  Indeed, one can see the contrast between the Philistines who wanted to rid themselves of the ark which was “causing” them havoc to the people of Beit Shemesh, who didn’t blame the Ark but themselves saying “Who can stand before G-d?”.  Instead of ridding themselves of the Ark, they sought a different, more suitable host for it and sent emissaries to the Jewish town of Kiriath-Jearim, whom they deemed more worthy to come and take it from them.   

In 2007, the most impressive find on the tel was discovered. Some bored teenagers took a camera, tied it to a string and put it inside a hole in the ground and took pictures. Unwittingly, they had just found the largest water system ever found in Biblical Israel (outside of Jerusalem).

Since there were no springs in the city and the closest springs were too far for everyday use, almost all of their drinking water was supplied by rainfall. Because every drop of rain was vital for their survival, all of the roofs had a system of pipes which would channel the water to the cistern so as not to waste anything.

About 1500-year ago, the Byzantines built a large monastery which serviced Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Since then, the city was largely abandoned until modern times. 

Beit Shemesh is relatively close to the hotels of Tel Aviv and/or Jerusalem.  There are also many other incredible sites in the area, which can be visited on the same day.  The next time you are in Israel, request that this wonderful Biblical treasure be on your itinerary! 

Nosson Shulman is a journalist and Licensed Tour Guide in Israel specializing in Biblical tours. To allow tourists to experience Israel during the Corona era, he created the new hit Israel tour video series which brings Israel to the home of viewers by simulating actual tours. To check out his free sneak preview tour videos, click here. To view sample tour itineraries or to inquire about private tour opportunities with a personalized itinerary on your next trip to Israel, click here.

© 2020 All Rights Reserved – Unauthorized Duplication is prohibited

By Nosson Shulman Licensed Tour Guide of VIP Israel Tours & Authentic Virtual Tours

“Saul… went to his home, to Gibeah (1 Samuel 10: 26)”

While there are many off the beaten track treasures in Israel, some are so little known that even many Israel experts have never heard of them. Today’s historic site, Tel el Ful, rarely sees visitors but this unique treasure is our next stop.

This location, North of Jerusalem’s Old City, is known in the Bible by several names. One of them is Gibeah, Hebrew for “Hill” because of its conspicuously high elevation from its surrounding areas.

Indeed, this place offers one of Israel’s best views! On a clear day one looking westward will see Israel’s lowlands, the Judean Forest and coastal region. Looking eastward, the Judean Desert, Dead Sea and the Biblical mountains of Jordan are visible.

It is also known as the Gibeah of Saul (1 Samuel 11:4), because this is where Israel’s first King, Saul, had his palace. A third name for this location is Gibeah of Benjamin (1 Samuel 13:15) as this is found in the tribal territory of Benjamin. King Saul was a native Benjamite.

Indeed, between 1922-23 renowned archeologist William Albright excavated the site and found a palace dated to the time of the United Monarchy of Israel, whose era includes the tumultuous reign of Saul.

One of the more well-known Biblical stories took place here before Saul’s reign, during the time of the Judges and once again the archeology matches the Biblical narrative.

In Judges 19 and 20, due to the actions of the Tribe of Benjamin against the Levite’s concubine, the other 11 tribes declared war and destroyed Gibeah by fire.  William Albright found the original “Gibeah” underneath the ruins of where King Saul would shortly build his palace, and it was covered in a deep layer of a type of ash found only on ruins which has been destroyed in flames.

Additional proof of this being the exact location of Gibeah, is the route the Levite and his concubine took to return from Bethlehem in Judah to his home on Mount Ephraim. As the sun was going down, they were passing Jerusalem but the Levite said let us continue further and “Spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah (Judges 19:13)”. All of these cities, on route to his home, are on the Biblical “Spine route” today known as Highway 60. To be sure, the city Dr Albright excavated was on this very route.

During the siege of Jerusalem culminating in the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, General Titus, who later became the Emperor of Rome, set up his camp here because of the great view of the battlefield from this vantage.

Where are the remains of King Saul’s palace today and what is the structure you currently see on top of the hill?

In 1948 Jordan Illegally took control of much of Israel, and tried to destroy any ancient Jewish remains they could find to deny that Jews ever had a connection to their historic homeland. On this location in 1965, on top of King Saul’s palace, King Hussein (father of Abdullah,  the current King of Jordan) began building his palace, initially destroying the ruins. In 1967 Israel liberated this land, and the skeleton of the building, never completed, remains. Israel legally annexed here in 1980 and in 1988 King Hussein officially relinquished any claims to it.

Today is it possible to visit this unique site, enter its structure and savor these superior views. While this site in generally safe to visit, one should first check with a licensed tour guide who is familiar with the building and security situation well.

By Nosson Shulman – Licensed Tour Guide and Trip Organizer in Israel who specializes in History, Tanach (Bible) and Adventure Tours. For more itineraries click here. Check out our new Virtual tour including a free sneak preview video Virtual Tours

© 2020 All Rights Reserved – Unauthorized Duplication is prohibited

By Nosson Shulman Licensed Tour Guide of VIP Israel Tours & Authentic Virtual Tours

“And Ephron’s Field….And the cave within and all the trees  in the field…was confirmed as Abraham’s as a purchase in the view of the Children of Heth…Afterwards Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah…which is in Hebron, in the Law of Canaan (Genesis 23: 17-19)”

An entire chapter in the Bible is dedicated to the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, showing the site’s importance in scripture.  Today we will visit this holy site, which unfortunately is not on many tour itineraries, but should be!

Abraham was told by G-d to go to Jerusalem and sacrifice his son Isaac.  Just as he was about to offer up his beloved son, an angel of G-d stopped him, revealing it to be only a test for Abraham.  On his return trip to his home in Beer Sheva (going south on today’s route 60), he passed through the city of Hebron and heard that his beloved wife Sarah has passed away.  Heartbroken, he wanted to bury Sarah in the best plot of land, the Cave of the Patriarchs, owned by Ephron.  Abraham asked the local Canaanites who revered him, to intercede on his behalf with Ephron to sell his field and cave. Ephron agreed, but at the outrageous price of 400 shekels in the currency “Most accepted by Merchants”. Despite its high price, Abraham accepted and paid him.

Why was Abraham so insistent that she be buried in this cave?

According to Jewish tradition, Abraham was once herding his cattle when one of his oxen went into the cave.  Abraham went to catch him and immediately smelled the aroma of the Garden of Eden. He also discovered that this was also the burial spot of Adam and Eve, and knew that this is where he wanted his family to be ultimately buried.

Another question arises: Why did Abraham have to buy property which already belonged to him because G-d had promised Abraham that he and his descendants would inherit Israel as an eternal possession?  Jewish sources reveal three places in Israel where their leaders bought they own “inherited” land, so no one should later claim that they were stolen (as many in the UN and Islamic world claim today):

1. The Temple Mount (located at Mount Moriah) bought by King David (2^nd Samuel: 24: 18-25)

2. Joseph’s Tomb which was bought by Jacob in Shechem (Genesis 33: 18-19)

3. The Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron

Abraham, Isaac, Rivkah (Rebecca), Jacob and Leah are all buried here.

This grand building you see today was built on top of the cave by the infamous King Herod more than 2000 years ago.

Indeed, as you enter the building, you are walking on flooring more than 2 millennia old!

The cave itself, which is under the building, has been inaccessible for the last 700 years, when a fanatical Islamic empire called the Mamelukes took control and sealed the cave to all. They banned Jews, Christians and all non-Muslims from even entering the building.

In the 1967 Six Day War, Israel liberated Hebron.  Chief Rabbi Goren of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) was so excited for the return of Jewish sovereignty for the first time since the 2nd Temple Era, that he drove himself to the Cave building and reached Hebron several hours before the IDF entered, and hoisted the Israeli flag atop the building.

Immediately, non-Muslims were permitted by Israel to enter the building for the first time in centuries. In a failed, unreciprocated gesture of peace, Israel allowed the Palestinians to take control of the majority of the building in the late 1990’s (See yellow area on the below map where non-Muslims are banned from entering), with Israel retaining a smaller section that allowed Jews, Christians and people of faith from all over the world to experience its majesty (see blue on the below map).

On your next trip to Israel, I highly recommend you put a visit to Hebron into your itinerary! To take a one of a kind virtual tour of Hebron right now, click here.

Please visit the author’s site: https://guidedtoursofisrael.com

Nosson Shulman is a journalist and Licensed Tour Guide in Israel specializing in Biblical tours. To allow tourists to experience Israel during the Corona era, he created the new hit Israel tour video series which brings Israel to the home of viewers by simulating actual tours. (including Hebron). To check out his free sneak preview tour videos, click here. To view sample tour itineraries or to inquire about private tour opportunities with a personalized itinerary on your next trip to Israel, click here.

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By Nosson Shulman Licensed Tour Guide of VIP Israel Tours & Authentic Virtual Tours

“When Hezekiah saw that (the Assyrians)…were headed for battle against Jerusalem…He rebuilt all the broken sections of the wall… and erected (a new) wall outside of it (Chronicles 2: 32: 2-5)”