Tayelet and City of David

Today Kitat Mayan explored Tayelet and the city of David.  We started off the day with a lovely t'fillah session, enjoying the magnificence of Jerusalem and praying at the same time.  After a quick photo shoot, we settled in the shade and began doing what we do best, making coffee.While the coffee was brewing, we began to learn about Samuel, Saul, and David.   
After that, we ate lunch, and headed to the city of David.  There, we went back in time to see ancient burial sites and even ancient toilets! We then acted out the story of Bat Sheva, and crawled through an underground stream.

Samuel is a prophet in the tenakh, and is introduced in the book of Samuel. Like many of the heroes we find in the tanakh, Samuel was born of a barren woman.
Samuel’s mother, Hannah, is known to be the person who came up with the idea of silent prayer, and she named her child Samuel because she “asked the Lord for him.”  As Samuel grows older, he becomes the leader of Am Yisrael (the land of Israel).  At the time, many societies were ruled under a monarchy.  So when the people of Am Yisrael were not satisfied with Samuel, they approached him saying that they want a king.  Samuel was old in age and his sons were corrupt, so he did not know who to make the king, until he one day runs into someone named Saul.     

 
Saul was a king from the tribe of Benjamin, a tribe which was disliked for their corrupt actions. However, just as Moses, the tenakh tells us that Saul was “born good.”  He was also a head taller than all of the people, which can be interpreted into being higher than the corrupt actions of the people. While Saul was king, he created a balance between the king and the prophets.  This helped the people distinguish the king and God.He also created a checks and balances system with the prophets, was a great military leader, provided security and safety, united the tribes, and created a united monarchy.  However, Saul also sacrificed an animal himself, instead of waiting for a prophet, and he did not completely annihilate their enemies, which goes against the collective memory of the Jewish people.  As a result, Saul was allowed to remain King, but his offspring could not continue the dynasty.  Saul is often not recognized/worshipped because he was not a member of the tribe of Judah.  

After Saul came King David, from the tribe of Judah.  While in a war with the Philistines, David was trying to keep his brothers safe and came upon Goliath, a giant.  He defeated Goliath with no armor, and stones and sticks as his weapon.  Saul claimed that whoever defeats Goliath will not only become rich, but will have the right to marry his daughter.  The people adored David for defeating Goliath. They sung “Saul killed thousands, David killed tens of thousands.” David is best recognized for bringing the Ark of Covenant to Jerusalem, making Jerusalem the capital of the tribe of Judah, for his military strength, and for ending Saul’s family line. However, David also committed murder, adultery, and did not fight in the wars once he became king.           

David becomes the King of Judah for seven years in Hevron, and he decides that it is time to find a new capital for his tribe, and he decides to take the city of Jebus, which is known today as Jerusalem.  Jebus was on the border between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, so moving there was another jab to Judah’s rival tribe.  Jebus was the chosen city for many reasons.  First, moving the capital there would not only unite the tribes of the first two kings, but would unite the 12 tribes as a whole. It also has religious significance because it was near Mount Moriah, the mountain where the binding of Isaac took place.  It is also the only city with its own source of freshwater and had three valleys that could be used for defense.     

       

In the city of David, there are many archaeological findings.  First, there were coins from the seventh century that were found, which teaches about who once lived on the land, and their advancement in technology.  There were also arrow heads found with an inscription that links us back to the time of Hannukah.  There was also a piece of clay found marked with “Legion X” or “Legion 10,”which teaches about the army and how the military ran in previous times.          

Personally, I question if all the stories in the tenakh are true. However, hearing that there is evidence of many people, places, and stories or the tenakh is starting to shift my view point.  And being able to walk through the spots where these events are said to happen brings collective memory. I am able to picture myself in the ancient City of David, and I feel as if I am there when David defeats Goliath.       

So Kitat Maayan, do you believe that both King Saul and King David were fair leaders, or do you think that their mistakes leave more of a mark than their accomplishments? Do you think one King is more honorable than the other? And if so, why?
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Dani Gottlieb