Pictures from Israel
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Israel-©-MEA-20170628-(N1057)–National-Flags-in-Rehovot
The Flag of Israel and the Jewish People
Driving 20 kilometres south from Tel Aviv, we came across this row of Israeli flags on a main bridge leading into Rehovot. The flag of Israel was adopted on 28th October, 1948 five months after the establishment of the State of Israel. It depicts two triangles overlaid to form a blue hexagram on a white background between two horizontal stripes. From ancient times, the Hebrews have included horizontal stripes in their traditional clothing design as well as individual Tribal colours. Also, the Tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl, may include blue stripes.
The hexagram symbol in the middle, called the Magen David or the Star of David, is ancient but not exclusive to the Hebrew nation, as it also appears in other ancient cultures. However, this symbol is thought to have been used by the Hebrews around the time of King Solomon, with artefacts showing this symbol on shields purported to be during the reign of King David. The Star of David seems to have surfaced in Jewish culture from the late Medieval (Prague) period, and was officially adopted by the First Zionist Congress in 1897. The Star of David has now become the universal icon to identify Jewish people and the State of Israel.
Check in with our website each week for a new picture and many interesting facts.
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Weekly Scripture
Numbers 20:7-8 (JPS)
7 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 8‘Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water; and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock; so thou shalt give the congregation and their cattle drink.’
John 4:13-14 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
13 Yeshua answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty again! On the contrary, the water I give him will become a spring of water inside him, welling up into eternal life!”
For the full Torah Portion click here
Weekly Questions
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Pictures from Israel
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Israel-@-MEA-20170621-(N262)–Art-in-Jerusalem-Armenian
Armenian Restaurant Painting
Just inside the Jaffa Gate and the walls of the Old City, is a delightful Armenian Restaurant. As you walk down the stairs to the eating area you will see wooden carvings, photos, plates and Ottoman-style lamps. This colourful painting is simply a delight for tourists and locals who come here to eat. The food has its own Armenian taste of popular Middle-Eastern dishes such as hummus, salads, kubbeh (meat pastries), pastirma (air dried beef slices) and sudjuk (dried spicy sausage) and many wonderful desserts.
What sets this restaurant apart from other restaurants in Jerusalem is its location. Situated a little inside the Jaffa Gate and within a 1000-year-old building that was once part of a Crusader cloister with its decor of artifacts. The tavern is as much a museum as an eating place, and provides an opportunity for tourists to learn some of the history and culture of these Armenian people.
Armenians have made Jerusalem their home ever since the mass conversion to Christianity around the 4th Century C.E. The community continues to reside in the south-western corner of the Old City, identified as the Armenian Quarter and is generally closed to tourists. There are approximately 1000 -1500 residents living in this area. The Armenian people have had a turbulent history under Turkish rule and in 1915, the Turkish Government expelled or forcibly removed them from the Ottoman Empire. By the early 1920’s deportations finally ended and it is estimated that approximately two million Armenians were massacred. History exposes so much of the suffering forced upon the Armenians to the point of genocide and yet, like the Jewish people, have found a home within this sacred city.
Copyright exists in all the material on this website and is owned by Messianic Education Australia Ltd. unless otherwise explicitly stated. This copyright extends to the images, logos, layout and presentation styles as well as the text material.
Pictures from Israel
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Israel-MEA-20170614-(N63)–Art-in-Jerusalem-Mosiac Zebulun
Mosiac Zebulum
This particular mosaic art piece is one of 12 which represent the Twelve Tribes of Israel which are evenly spaced along the walking track. We discovered it while we were walking through Train Track Park on the outskirts of Jerusalem. This walking park was developed along the historical railway track between the old Jerusalem Railway Station and the new railway situated near the Biblical Zoo.
The history of the Ottoman railway line between Jaffa (near Tel Aviv) and Jerusalem dates back to 1890 and this was the first rail line in the Middle East. It was an initiative of Jerusalem entrepreneur Yosef Navon and took two and a half years to build. The track was used throughout the 20th century apart from an interruption of one year during the War of Independence. The track served as a major artery to Jerusalem from a wide range of neighbouring countries.
These days, it serves as an historical museum and community park for tourists and locals alike. The new park is six kilometres long and city planners carefully preserved and integrated the rail and tracks creating a quite unique landscape.
The design of this mosaic represents the sea-fairing Tribe of Zebulun, mentioned in Genesis 49:13. “Zebulun will live at the sea shore, with ships anchoring along his coast and his borders at Zidon (Sidon)” Complete Jewish Bible translation.
Zebulun was the tenth son of Jacob and the sixth son of Leah and family. He was part of the plot to sell Joseph into slavery and later one of the Hebrew brothers who went down to Egypt to buy food. He would later live in Egypt with his three sons Sered, Elon and Jahleel. The tribe of Zebulun inhabited the northern land of Caanan. Both the Tribe of Naphtali and Zebulun are mentioned as brave soldiers in the Song of Deborah during the battle against Sisera (Judges 5:18).
Next week there will be more interesting art work from Jerusalem. Shalom!
Copyright exists in all the material on this website and is owned by Messianic Education Australia Ltd. unless otherwise explicitly stated. This copyright extends to the images, logos, layout and presentation styles as well as the text material.
