What’s New at Orot Israel College’s Land of Israel Studies Department?

by Dr. Ayal Davidson - Head of Orot Israel College’s Land of Israel Studies Department

Recently, several exciting events took place at Orot Israel College’s Land of Israel Studies Department.

First, Rav Professor Neria Guttel, President of Orot Israel College, and Rav Dr. Moshe Rachimi, Dean of Students, joined the students and faculty of the Land of Israel Studies Department at a festive dedication ceremony for a new departmental room which was designed by the students themselves.

Next, a brand new departmental website was launched at the dedication ceremony. The site contains a wide array of informative articles, videos, and pictures and will serve as an ideal forum for online student discussions.

Finally, the Land of Israel Studies Department hosted a daylong seminar for the Association of Midrashot. The seminar focused on daily life during ancient times and included a study of various plants, their uses, and their Biblical names. In addition, Dr. Aryeh Borenstein treated the participants to a fascinating tour of archeological sites in the western Shomron.

Orot Israel College Visits Mount Gilboa

by Dr. Ayal Davidson

Head, Land of Israel Studies Department, Orot Israel College

When King Shaul – the humble man who was charged with the daunting task of uniting a torn and fragmented nation – died, a particularly inglorious period in Jewish history came to an abrupt end. The era that had begun with a bright hope for a great monarchy concluded with nationwide disillusionment and disappointment.

"הָרֵי בַגִּלְבֹּעַ אַל טַל וְאַל מָטָר עֲלֵיכֶם..."

“O mountains of Gilboa, let there be neither dew nor rain upon you…” (Shmuel II 1:21)

Mount Gilboa – cursed by none other than King David – became a poignant symbol of the pervasive gloom. Yet, at the same time, it represented a historical turning point, because David would go on to succeed where his predecessor had failed.

Equipped with comfortable shoes, a Tanach, water, and plenty of snacks, Orot Israel College’s student body recently headed to the Gilboa in order to uncover its secrets. From atop Mount Shaul – named for the king who died bravely in battle on this spot – we looked out over the Yizrael and Harod Valleys at the distant Gilad Mountains along the horizon. We then followed the scenic Nachal Yitzpor down the mountain and admired the bold-faced pink and white cyclamens and the numerous autumn crocuses.

The second part of our trip focused on Yizrael, the site of Achav and Izevel’s sumptuous palace. After reading the passage from Sefer Melachim I - which tells how the royal duo infamously betrayed Navot - we discussed the king’s moral authority and the pernicious influences of an alien, idolatrous culture. From Tel Yizrael, we hiked down to “the spring in Yizrael” – the lovely spring which flows along the ancient city - and the adjacent pool.

A special thank you to the wonderful students from Orot’s Land of Israel studies department, who served as our talented tour guides during the amazing trip. They even devoted an entire day to mapping out our route in advance, and all their hard work and dedication certainly paid off. The student guides were supervised by Naamah Bindiger - who gave birth, b’shaah tovah, to a beautiful baby girl during the course of the preparations - and Yehudit Zorger, who quickly and skillfully stepped in and took over from Naamah.

Seminar on Judaism and the Environment

By Dr. Yossi Spanier
Head of the Department of Land of Israel Studies

In the framework of the Rosh Chodesh forum for first-year students, Orot conducted a seminar on the subject of “Judaism and the Environment”. Organized to develop awareness of the issue of the environment and its relationship to the Jewish world, the seminar encouraged students to lead an attitude change towards environmental issues in the educational system.
A team from the organization "Teva Ivri" (Jewish Nature) led the seminar. Among the coordinators was Hadas Yelnick (Zagury), an Orot graduate who studied in Orot’s Department of the Land of Israel Studies and later earned her Master's Degree in Environmental Studies . Hadas returned to Orot as an active member of “Teva Ivri” in order to help promote the importance of environmental issues in educational institutions.
Following an opening lecture by Rabbi Prof. Neria Guttel, Hadas described what she called a “global environmental crisis.” After the lectures, the students split into two rounds of Beit Midrash study on the subjects of “birkat ha'ilanot” – “Blessing of the Trees,” and “Preservation and the Value of Nature.” At the same time, there were two workshops: the first highlighted the importance of producing compost and recycling. The second presented numerous products in daily use and contrasted many products which contain dangerous toxins and should be avoided, with others made from healthy components that are safe to use.
This interesting and informative day concluded with a call to students to join the framework of Israeli environmental activism.