Prohibition of Bamot

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  1. The Prohibition of Erasing the Name of God

    Parashat Re'eh

    Rabbi Yehuda Rock

    In Parashat Re'eh we are commanded to abolish idolatry from the Land of Israel, and on the flip side - to avoid destroying altars built for God. Practically, the Torah teaches us not to destroy holy artifacts used for worship in the Temple; but on a spiritual plane we learn a lesson of spreading the name of God throughout the world, and glorifying God's name.

  2. Shlomo's Spiritual Aspirations

    Rabbi Alex Israel

    Shlomo's public spectacle in Givon is essentially his announcement of his initiative to transfer the altar to Jerusalem and eventually build the Mikdash there. He  offers sacrifices on the central altar at Givon, but then immediately travels to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices there.
    Shlomo's request for wisdom is followed by the famous case of his judgement. The story has two powerful messages: random people had access to the highest authority in the land and Shlomo sought to apply justice to the entire nation, and not simply to the upper classes.

  3. The Rebellion of Yerovam - New Kingdom, New Religion

    Part 2

    Rabbi Alex Israel

    Shekhem is a city that has hosted mass events in the past and a city with historic significance in general. The challenge that Rehavam meets from the Northern tribes reawakens old tribal conflicts that expressed themselves in David and Shaul's reigns. Rehavam takes the advice of the younger less mature advisors who grew up with him in the luxury of Shlomo's palace.   Yerovam begins to fail as a leader when he sets up an alternative religion to the worship of God in the Mikdash in Jerusalem by setting up shrines in Beit El and Dan - two cities with a long history of religious significance. There he places golden calves reminiscent of Aharon's golden calf in the desert. Additionally, as per his democratic nature that fueled his rebellion against Shlomo, he appoints Kohanim from all of the people and establishes a new date for Sukkot. 

  4. An Interim "Introduction" to Sefer Melakhim

    Rabbi Alex Israel

    From chapter 14 and onwards, we read brief accounts of kings that are formal and contain standardized language. The focus of the book of Melakhim is to be on the Mikdash.  The book begins with the rise of Shlomo and the building of the Mikdash, and it ends with its destruction.  The blame is also clear.  This is a book that targets the leaders, and hence it assesses the leadership – king by king - to discern which national figures accelerated the path to that great calamity of destruction and which tried to reverse or stem that process, steering the nation on a path of repentance.  Every king is listed and surveyed in order to understand their part.  Hence, no link in the chain from building to destruction may be omitted. It knows precisely where to place the blame, which area of deviance constitutes the core of the problem. Our book is focused and locked-in upon idolatry and its associated practices.

  5. The Tragedy of Yoshiyahu

    Rabbi Alex Israel

    Yoshiyahu's dramatic religious revolution led him to two erroneous conclusions, giving him the confidence to confront Pharaoh Nekho who lead his army through Israel in order to confront the emerging Babylonian empire. Firstly, he believed that the religious level that was achieved was one that would make God support him against an idolatrous king. Secondly, he believed that the revolution was sincere and accepted among the people, when in fact in the short amount of time since the major change it was imposiible to uproot norms and beliefs that had set in over such a long period. This folly decision led to his death by the archers' arrows ending abruptly the reign of a righteous king. The lack of real change among the people means that wheels of Hurban that were set in motion by Menashe were not stopped - though they might have had the chage been sincere.

    Modern Biblical scholars claim that Devarim was the Sefer Torah that Yoshiyahu discovered and it was written in his time and not by Moshe. The claim of the 7th century authorship is refuted by a series of simple proofs.

  6. Duplication and Contradiction

    Part 2 - Historical Claims of Documentary Hypothesis

    Rabbi Amnon Bazak

    The prevalent view in academic circles, has been that the major part of the Book of Devarim was written in the 7th century B.C.E., as part of the battle waged by Chizkiyahu and Yoshiyahu for centralized ritual worship. This assertion is based mainly on the argument that Devarim is the only Book of the Torah which speaks of the selection of a single location for Divine service, and rejects worship outside of this location. A series of questions and proofs are brought against this theory, leading to the conclusion that the central argument for the claim of late authorship of Devarim has multiple and serious flaws.

  7. Where is “the Place which God shall Choose”?

    Rabbi Dr. Yoel Bin Nun

    When reading Parashat Re’eh, Torah scholars and biblical researchers alike generally understand the phrase, “the place which God shall choose” as referring solely to Jerusalem (Mount Moriah). This understanding makes it  difficult to explain the sacrifices offered to God upon bamot, literally “high places,” the ad hoc altars described in several places in Tanakh. We examine Biblical texts, commentaries, midrash, and archeological findings at Khirbet Qeyafa to reach new understandings about the presence and dismantling of bamot.