Lecture 63: The Status of Bet-El and Mitzpeh
Mikdash
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This shiur is
dedicated in memory of Israel Koschitzky zt"l, whose yahrzeit falls on the 19th
of Kislev.
May the world-wide
dissemination of Torah through the VBM be a fitting tribute to a man
whose
lifetime achievements exemplified the love of Eretz Yisrael and Torat
Yisrael.
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Lecture
63: The status of Bet-El and Mitzpeh
Rav
Yitzchak Levi
INTRODUCTION
Last year, we discussed the issue of "the territory of Binyamin as the
territory of the Shekhina."[1]
In those shiurim, we attempted to understand the significance
of this idea with respect to the tribal territory of Binyamin as a whole, the
various stations of the Mishkan in that territory, and the city of
Jerusalem in particular. One of the interesting points that we noted is that in
addition to the stations of the Mishkan themselves, it is precisely in
the tribal territory of Binyamin that a concentration of holy places was found
during the period beginning with the conquest of Eretz Yisrael and
concluding with the kingdom of David.
In this shiur, I wish to relate to two places in Binyamin, Bet-El
and Mitzpeh, which filled an important role during this period. There is a
significant difference between the two places: Bet-El had already been a place
of special importance and holiness in the days of the patriarchs, whereas
Mitzpeh had no special history and only rose to importance in the period of the
Shoftim and the prophet Shmuel.
BET-EL
LOCATION OF BET-EL
The location of Bet-El can be determined from the description of the
borders of the tribal territories in the book of Yehoshua. First of all,
Bet-El is counted among the cities of Binyamin (Yehoshua 18:22), and it
is also noted that it is found in the northern part of that territory, along the
border between Binyamin and Efrayim (Yehoshua
16:2).
Today, Bet-El is commonly identified with the place called Burg Beitin,
situated southwest of Ofra.[2]
(The conquest of the city is described in detail in Shoftim
1:22-26.)
BET-EL IN THE WAR BETWEEN BINYAMIN AND THE REST OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL (IN THE WAKE OF THE INCIDENT OF THE CONCUBINE IN GIV'A)
And
the children of Israel arose, and went up to Bet-El, and asked counsel of God,
and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of
Binyamin? And the Lord said, Yehuda shall go up first
And Binyamin went out
against them from Giv'a on the second day, and laid low of the children of
Israel another eighteen thousand men, all these drawing the sword. Then all the
children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to the house of God, and
wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that day until evening, and
offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord. And the children of
Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in
those days, and Pinchas, the son of Elazar the son of Aharon, stood before it in
those days), saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of
Binyamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the Lord said, Go up; for tomorrow
I will deliver them into your hand
Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mitzpeh,
saying, None of us shall give his daughter to Binyamin to wife. And the people
came to the house of God, and abode there till evening before God, and lifted up
their voices, and wept very bitterly. (Shoftim
20:18-21:2)
It follows from these verses that Bet-El was a place where the children
of Israel would go to inquire of God.[3]
The place is defined as "before the Lord" a place where people fast and offer
sacrifices, and where they inquire of God by way of the ark of the covenant that
was located there at that time.
Why don't the people of Israel go to the Mishkan in Shilo in order
to pray there and inquire of God? Surely the regular site of the ark was in
Shilo!
Some commentators resolve this question in simple fashion, arguing that
indeed the term "Bet-El" ("house of the Lord") relates here to the Mishkan
in Shilo (Metzudat David, Shoftim 20:18; Radak, Shoftim
20:26). It is interesting that elsewhere in his commentary, the Radak is not
content with his explanation here. In his commentary to the verse describing the
building of the altar in Bet-El and the offering of sacrifices there, he
writes:
If
this "Bet-El" is Shilo, why did they build an altar there? Was there not an
altar in the Mishkan? And if this is the city called Bet-El, there too
there was the altar that was built by Yaakov, our forefather, as we shall later
explain in the book of Shmuel regarding the verse, "going up to God in
Bet-El." It may be suggested that they built a new altar there, and the place
was either Shilo or Bet-El, and the building of an altar constitutes seeking of
God, as we find in many places that people would build an altar to inquire of
God. And owing to this terrible thing that happened to them regarding Binyamin,
they built an altar and offered sacrifices and wept before God, saying, Why has
it come to pass that one tribe is lacking. (Shoftim 21:4, s.v.
vayivnu sham)
According to this approach, it is difficult to understand why Scripture
notes that the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days. What was
special about those days as opposed to the days that came before and after, when
the ark was found in Shilo?
Another
possibility, one that is closer to the plain sense of the text, is to relate to
Bet-El itself. It may be suggested that during this period, Shilo did not enjoy
high standing and the people did not visit it on a regular basis.[4]
According to this explanation, we can also understand what the prophet
emphasizes, "And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord, for the ark of
the covenant of God was there in those days."
How
did the people of Israel offer sacrifices in Bet-El? Surely during this period
offering sacrifices on bamot was forbidden!
The
Meshekh Chokhma (Devarim 12) explains that on various occasions
the ark was removed from the Mishkan. In such circumstances, when the ark
was outside the Mishkan, offering sacrifices on bamot was
permitted. This explanation is based on the Yerushalmi (Megilla
1:12) and the Tosefta (end of tractate Zevachim), which state
that as long as the ark was inside the Mishkan, bamot were
forbidden, but when the ark was outside the Mishkan, bamot were
permitted.
In
this manner, the Meshekh Chokhma explains several instances in which
sacrifices were offered outside the Mishkan. For
example:
· The
altar mentioned in connection with the great assembly in Shekhem at the end of
Yehoshua's life (Yehoshua 24).
· The
sacrifices offered in Bokhim (Shoftim 2:5).
· The
sacrifices offered in Bet-El during the incident involving the concubine in
Giv'a.
Beyond
the physical proximity of Bet-El to the site of the battles against the people
of Binyamin, it would seem that the reason that the ark was taken specifically
to Bet-El is connected to Bet-El's
history, it being the sanctified site of the patriarchs already in the days of
Avraham and Yaakov. It is possible that the memory of this holiness continued to
have an impact, and that the people continued to relate to the sanctity of the
place even during the period of the Shoftim, despite the fact that the
Mishkan stood in Shilo.
In
order to understand why the people continued to relate to the sanctity of Bet-El
even during this period, we must consider the standing and essence of Bet-El
during the period of the patriarchs.
THE SANCTITY OF BET-EL, "THE MIKDASH OF THE PATRIARCHS," IN THE BOOK OF BEREISHIT
During the period of the patriarchs, Bet-El stands out as the most
sanctified place. It is in Bet-El that Avraham first called out in the name of
God in Eretz Yisrael (Bereishit 12:5), and it is interesting that
after his journeys to the Negev and to Egypt, Avraham returns to the very place
where he began:
And
he went on his journeys from the Negev even to Bet-El, to the place where his
tent had been at the beginning, between Bet-El and Ay;[5]
to the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first. And there,
Avram called on the name of the Lord.[6]
It is also there that, after separating from Lot, he receives a blessing
regarding seed and the Land, the first detailed blessing that God gives him in
Eretz Yisrael.
But it was Yaakov who gave Bet-El its special standing, tarrying there on
his way to Charan and turning it into a "sanctified place"[7]
upon his return. In this context, attention should be paid to the fact that the
city is called "ha-makom," "the place" (a term that repeats itself six
times in Bereishit 28 and four more times in Bereishit 35), and to
the nature of the revelation there: "This is no other than the house of God, and
this is the gate of heaven" (Bereishit 28:17).
This sanctified place, called "the house of God," gives expression to the
site of the resting of the Shekhina and to the place where man serves God
in God's house.[8]
This is the place that connects heaven and earth: "A ladder set up on the earth,
and the top of it reached the heaven" (ibid. v. 12). The name of the place
Bet-El, Bet-Elokim signifies its role as a sanctuary. Yaakov's fear when he
wakes up from his sleep is fear and awe of the Mikdash. Setting the stone
as a pillar and pouring oil on top of it alludes to libation
offerings.
To summarize, all the elements noted above the name Bet-El, the ladder
connecting earth to heaven, the terms "house of God" and "gate of heaven"
testify that the place served as a Mikdash that was revealed to Avraham
and Yaakov at this place.[9]
The uniqueness of Bet-El also follows from a comparison between it and
the tower of Bavel. When Yaakov arrives in Bet-El on his way to Charan, he
dreams of a ladder that reaches heaven. Prof. Yehuda Elitzur[10]
sees a connection between Yaakov's ladder and the tower of Bavel, and he draws a
comparison between them:
Regarding
the tower of Bavel it says, "Therefore is the name of it called Bavel; because
the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth" (Bereishit
11:9). The Torah's intention is to put to scorn the pretentious explanation
proposed by the inhabitants of Bavel for the name of their city Bab-ili, gate
of God. Scripture wishes to argue that this is not the gate of God, but rather
the gate of confusion. The true gate of heaven is revealed in Yaakov's dream,
and there Scripture reveals that the gate of heaven is in Bet-El, in the chosen
land and not in the land of Shin'ar. Yaakov's house of God is found in an open
field, in defiance of the majestic towers connected to the Mesopotamian cultic
rites. These enormous towers, called ziggurats, which rose up high in every
important Mesopotamian city, served as meeting places between god and man. It is
against these people that Yaakov calls out, "This is no other than the house of
God." This field in Bet-El is the house of God in which stands the real ladder
between earth and heaven, while the towers of Bavel are but hideous idols of
brick and clay. Yaakov's ladder, which "is set on the earth, and the top of it
reached heaven" (Bereishit 28:12), is a continuation of the polemic in
the story of the generation of the dispersion, "Come, let us build us a city and
a tower, whose top may reach to heaven" (Bereishit 11:4). Yaakov's ladder
serves as a constant bridge between God and His chosen ones, similar to what is
stated in Devarim 11:12: "A land which
the eyes of the Lord your God are
always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year." The
ladder expresses the true and constant connection between God and His chosen
land, and the place best fit to express this idea is Bet-El.[11]
BET-EL IN THE DAYS OF THE PROPHET SHMUEL
In the days of the prophet Shmuel, following the destruction of Shilo,
Bet-El is mentioned in two connections:
·
Bet-El
is one of the places in which Shmuel judged Israel each year (I Shmuel
7:16).
·
Following
the anointing of Shaul as prince, Shmuel gives him several signs, one of which
is connected to Bet-El:
Then
you shall go forward from there, and you shall come to the oak of Tavor, and
there shall meet you three men going up to God to Bet-El, one carrying three
kids, and another carrying three loaves of read, and another carrying a bottle
of wine. And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you
shall receive from their hands. (I Shmuel 10:3-4).
What is the meaning of this sign? What is the meaning of the fact that
the men are going up to God to Bet-El?
In order to understand this point, it should be remembered that at this
point in time, following the destruction of the Mishkan in Shilo,
offering sacrifices at bamot is permitted. Thus, it is possible that
there is a famous bama or central altar at Bet-El, to which the kid-goats
are being brought for sacrifices, the bread for meal-offerings, and the wine for
libations. This is the way the Radak explains the matter (ad
loc.):
This
is Luz, which Yaakov called Bet-El, and where the altar built by Yaakov stood.
During the period when bamot were permitted, they would offer sacrifices
there and that house was holy. Israelites would come there at that time to pray
by the merits of Yaakov. And so Yaakov said about this that it would be the
house of God. Even though the midrash has another approach to this, what
we have written accords with the plain sense of the verses. For Bet-El was
forever a holy place and the site of an altar, and people would come there to
pray, and it was a place of prophecy, as it is stated, "And this is the gate of
heaven." That is, it is the gate through which to know what is being decreed in
heaven regarding the lower world. And Hoshea said, "He would find Him in Bet-El,
and there He would speak with us" (Hoshea 12:5). And Yonatan renders [the
verse]: "Going up to God going up to serve God in
Bet-El."
The Radak understands that the sanctity of the place was continuously
preserved since the days of Yaakov, and that it served as a site of prayer and
prophecy. The ancient tradition regarding the sanctity of the place had meaning
and continuity until the period of the Shoftim, and Bet-El was a famous
site at which sacrifices were offered during the period when bamot were
permitted.
BET-EL IN THE DAYS OF YEROV'AM
Following the division of the kingdom, Yerov'am, who ruled in Shekhem
over the kingdom of Israel, decided to separate the seat of his rule from the
site of cultic ritual,[12]
setting up two calves of gold in Dan and in Bet-El (I Melakhim 12:29).
Setting up the calves in Dan and in Bet-El was undoubtedly connected to the fact
that these two places were situated on the border of his kingdom. Yerov'am set
up central cultic sites on the borders of his kingdom border temples - in Dan
in the north and in Bet-El in the south.[13]
It was not by chance, however, that he chose precisely these two border cities.
Yerov'am proposed, as it were, a cultic alternative to Jerusalem in the form of
Bet-El the "sanctified place" of the patriarchs, endowed with ancient
sanctity.[14]
Against the background of its sanctity during the time of the patriarchs, Bet-El
once again became an important cultic site during the period of the divided
kingdom, just as it had been during the days of the Shoftim. Various
prophets related to the cultic rites practiced at Bet-El, especially Amos and
Hoshea, who viewed these rites as outright idol worship and as treachery against
the covenant between God and Israel[15]
(Bet-El becomes Bet-Aven, "house of iniquity").
Bet-El maintained its special status until the end of the First Temple
period. With the conquest of Shomron by the kingdom of Ashur and the settlement
of new inhabitants in the region, one of the priests was sent to Bet-El to teach
the new inhabitants how they should fear God (II Melakhim
17:28).
MITZPEH
ITS LOCATION AND IDENTIFICATION
Mitzpeh is a city in the tribal territory of Binyamin. According to one
suggestion, it has been identified with Tel a-Nasba, southwest of Ramallah.
Alternatively, it has been identified with Nebi Samuel, north of the
neighborhood of Ramot in Jerusalem.
IN THE WAR BETWEEN THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL AND THE TRIBE OF BINYAMIN
Beyond its being situated in the tribal territory of Binyamin, Mitzpeh is
first mentioned in the context of the war between the people of Israel and the
tribe of Binyamin in the wake of the incident of the concubine of
Giv'a:
Then
all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation assembled as one man,
from Dan to Be'er-Sheva, with the land of Gil'ad, to the Lord in Mitzpeh. And
the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented
themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen
that drew sword. (Shoftim 20:1-2)
What is meant by the words, "to the Lord in Mitzpeh"? The Radak explains
(ad loc.):
In
a place where all or most of Israel assemble, there the Shekhina rests.
As it is stated, "God stands in the Divine assembly" (Tehillim 82:1). Or
it means as it was explained in the book of Yehoshua,that in Mitzpeh
there was an altar to God and a house of prayer
We already wrote in the book of
Yehoshua why it was their way to gather in Mitzpeh, for there was a great
salvation for Israel there when the kings gathered to fight against
Yehoshua.
The city of Mitzpeh is mentioned in other places as well, and the
question that arises among the commentators is whether we are dealing with the
same place or with a different place. Thus, for example, it says at the
beginning of Yehoshua 11:
And
it came to pass, when Yavin king of Chatzor had heard those things, that he sent
to Yovav king of Madon, and to the king of the Shimron, and to the king of
Akhsaf, and to the kings that were in the north, in the mountains, and in the
Arava south of Kinnarot, and in the plain, and in the districts of Dor on the
west, and to the Kena'ani on the east and on the west, and to the Emori, and the
Chiti, and the Perizi, and the Yevusi in the mountains, and to the Chivi under
Hermon in the land of Mitzpeh. (Yehoshua 11:1-3)
The Radak explains (ad loc.):
And it is possible that this place is the Mitzpeh where Israel would always
assemble. And because there was a great salvation there, they assembled there.
For in the other war that Yehoshua fought against the five kings, even though
there was a great salvation, there were only five kings, but these were many
kings. It is possible that Yehoshua built an altar there because of the great
salvation that took place there, and for this reason Israel would gather there
when they needed to go out to war or for some other important matter. And so we
find regarding Yiftach, "Before the Lord in Mitzpeh," and similarly regarding
the concubine in Giv'a, "To the Lord in Mitzpeh." And so, too, Shmuel said in
the war against the Pelishtim, "Gather unto me all of Israel in Mitzpeh." And
similarly when he anointed Shaul, "And Shmuel called the people together to the
Lord to Mitzpeh." It seems from all these verses that there was an altar there
and a house sanctified for prayer and for the gathering of Israel in those
days.
The Radak views all of the places named Mitzpeh as one place, including
the northern Mitzpeh below the Chermon, the Mitzpeh of Yiftach in Gil'ad, and
the Mitzpeh in the tribal territory of Binyamin mentioned in the wake of the
incident of the concubine in Giv'a. He argues that owing to the great salvation
that took place there, Yehoshua built an altar there; therefore, in times of
distress, the people of Israel would gather there. It is possible that there was
also an altar in the Mitzpeh in the tribal territory of Binyamin (which was used
during the period that bamot were permitted), and possibly also a house
of prayer, and that the people of Israel would gather there in that
period.
We are unable to suggest why Mitzpeh was chosen as a gathering place for
all of Israel. According to our understanding, nothing happened at the
Binyaminite Mitzpeh because of which it should serve as a place in which to
assemble the entire people. It is possible that it was chosen because of its
geographical location, it being centrally located in the tribal territory (this
is especially reasonable if we identify Mitzpeh with Tel
A-Nasba).
Mitzpeh is next mentioned in the book of
Shoftim:
Now
the men of Israel had sworn in Mitzpeh, saying, None of us shall give his
daughter to Binyamin to wife
And the children of Israel said, Who is there
among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation to the
Lord? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the
Lord to Mitzpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death. (Shoftim
20:1, 5)
Here, too, it is mentioned twice in the same verse that going up with the
congregation to Mitzpeh means going up to the Lord.
IN THE DAYS OF SHMUEL
After Shmuel succeeds in bringing the people of Israel to repent, he
gathers all of Israel in Mitzpeh:
And
Shmuel said, Gather all of Israel to Mitzpeh, and I will pray for you to the
Lord. And they gathered together to Mitzpeh, and drew water, and poured it out
before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against
the Lord. And Shmuel judged the children of Israel in Mitzpeh. (I Shmuel
7:5-6)
Shmuel offers a burnt-offering to God and prays there on behalf of
Israel. The Radak explains the sacrifices as follows:
"And
he offered (va-ya'alah) a burnt-offering" Thus it is written.
And it is read: "And he offered it" (va-ya'alehu). And Chazal
expounded: It is written: "Va-ya'alah" it was female. From here
they learned that a female burnt-offering is fit on a private bama. And
they also had a tradition that a non-priest can offer sacrifices on a private
bama. For when the Mishkan in Shilo was destroyed and they came to
Nov, bamot were permitted the entire time that the Tent of Meeting was in
Nov and in Givon until the permanent Mikdash was built, when they became
forbidden and were never again permitted. And they said: A bama only
becomes permitted by way of a prophet, for Shmuel was the first to offer a
sacrifice on a private bama after the Mishkan in Shilo was
destroyed. And so, too, in Gilgal, Yehoshua was the first to offer a sacrifice
on a private bama, as it is stated: "Then Yehoshua built." (ibid., v.
9)
It is interesting that, according to the Radak, Shmuel's offering at this
private bama was the first offering brought following the destruction of
the Mishkan in Shilo.
If the Radak is correct, it would seem that this special offering that
was brought in this special place where all of Israel had assembled is what
prepares Israel for the Divine revelation at that place.
Later, at the end of the First Temple period, we find Gedalyah ben
Achikam at Mitzpeh before he is killed by Yishmael ben Netanya ben Elishama. We
see, then, that the place retained its central importance over time, now as a
seat of rule and government.
The special status of Mitzpeh is reflected in a most interesting manner
in the book of Maccabees (I, 3:38-4-6), according to which Yehuda the Maccabee
assembles the people in Mitzpeh "because Mitzpeh had formerly been a place of
prayer in Israel."
Our examination of these two places, Bet-El and Mitzpeh, their sanctity
and the attitude toward them, teaches us an important point, both in the period
of Yehoshua and the Shoftim and in the period of Shmuel. During these
periods, the Mishkan does not play a very important role, but there are
several sanctified places of considerable national importance. The ark is
frequently removed from the Mishkan and brought to one place or another,
at which time it is possible to offer sacrifices in proximity to the ark, and
for a limited amount of time the place turns into a holy
place.
This reality accords with the words of God to David when David wants to
build a house for God:
For
I have not dwelt in any house since that time that I brought up the children of
Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but I have walked in a tent and in a
tabernacle. In all the places where I have walked with all the children of
Israel, did I speak a word with any of the rulers of Israel, whom I commanded as
shepherds of My people Israel, saying, Why do you not build Me a house of
cedar? (II Shmuel 7:6-7)
The temporary nature of the site of the resting of the Shekhina
also finds expression in the people of Israel's attitude toward other
places, such as Bet-El and Mitzpeh, places of spiritual and religious
importance, despite the fact that the Mishkan stood in Shilo for 369
years.
(Translated
by David Strauss)
[1]
Lectures 46-48.
[2]
R. Yoel Elitzur dealt with this issue in his article, "Burg Beitin Mesoret
U-Mekora," Kovetz Shomeron U-Vinyamin (Jerusalem, 5751), pp.
103-111.
[3]
It is possible that the term "going up" used with respect to Bet-El is not
connected to geographical reality; rather, it denotes going up for the purpose
of inquiring of God. The "going up" relates to spiritual reality.
[4]
We expanded on this issue in last year's shiurim.
[5]
The expression "between Bet-El and Ay" appears again later in the account of
Yehoshua's battle at Ay. Yehoshua continues in the footsteps of Avraham, who
paved the way in Eretz Yisrael, and he leads the entire people into the
Land. "The actions of the fathers are signs for the
children."
[6]
It should be noted that the end of the verse is intentionally ambiguous
regarding the time that Avraham called on the name of the Lord was it now or
when he was there the first time? It seems that this ambiguity is intended to
emphasize the fact that Avraham returned to the very same place and engaged in
the very same action.
Later,
Yaakov similarly returned several times to this same place. "And this stone,
which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house
" (Bereishit 28:22)
is rendered by Onkelos as: "And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, I
shall serve God upon it." Rashi cites this and adds, "This, indeed, he did on
his return from Padan-Aram, when God said to him (ibid. 35:1): 'Arise, go up to
Bet-El.' What is stated there? And Yaakov set up a pillar
and he poured out a
drink-offering thereon' (v. 14)." In other words, there is an allusion here to
the sanctity of the place that will be revealed by Yaakov himself upon his
return to Bet-El. Thus, we can understand those who wish to call Bet-El "the
Mikdash of the patriarchs." I thank R. Yoel Elitzur for this point.
[7]
It is not by chance that, despite the Divine revelation at Mount Moriya at the
time of the Akeda, Yaakov does not go there (according to the plain sense
of Scripture). The revelation at Mount Moriya was an instance of "the actions of
the fathers are signs for the children," but only for the later generations. The
Akeda was a one-time event that took place between Avraham, Yitzchak, and
God; there were no additional witnesses, and the place would only be revealed
anew to the people of Israel in the days of David, in the revelation at the
threshing floor of Aravna the Yevusi.
[8]
This point repeats itself in the days of David when he arrives at the threshing
floor of Aravna. At that time, David says: This is the house of the Lord God,
and this is the altar of the burnt-offering for Israel" (I Divrei
Ha-yamim 22:1). Once again, the place plays a double role a site for
serving God and God's house. This is part of a very broad issue, connected also
to the structure of the Mikdash, the relationship between the resting of
the Shekhina in the Mikdash and human worship, and other
matters.
[9]
Chazal identified the revelation at Bet-El as transpiring at Mount Moriya
(see, for example, Pesachim 88a and elsewhere), even though the plain
sense of the text implies that it took place at Bet-El and not Mount Moriya.
Chazal's identification teaches that they viewed Bet-El as a
Mikdash, which served the patriarchs as a site of revelation and
service.
In
this context, it is interesting to note that, in contrast to his father and his
son, Yitzchak never appears in Bet-El. Yaakov, in many senses, retraces the
steps of Avraham, whereas Yitzchak follows an independent path. This, however,
is not the forum in which to expand upon this matter.
[10]
"Migdal Bavel Ve-Sulam Yaakov," in his Yisrael Ve-Ha-Mikra;
Mechkarim Ge'ografiyim Historiyim Ve-Hagutiyim (Ramat Gan, 5760), pp.
44-48.
[11]
The full and complete repair of the sin of the tower of Bavel will come with the
building of the Mikdash.
[12]
As opposed to David and Shlomo, who chose to unite the seat of their kingdom in
Jerusalem with the site of the resting of the Shekhina Mount Moriya and
the Mikdash.
[13]
Of course, one of the main goals of setting up a calf in Bet-El was to prevent
pilgrims from continuing on toward Jerusalem.
[14]
Dan also has a certain significance in connection to the patriarchs, it being
the place reached by Avraham while he was in pursuit of the four kings
(Bereishit 14:14).
[15]
See, for example, Hoshea 4:15; 5:8; 10:5-15.