Well just this past Monday I went on a field trip to the Negev desert region. Which was very interesting. Our first stop was to a weaving Bedouin woman and their presentation was very interesting. Hagar the woman there showed us how they spin the wool to make thread; how they them double thread it and organize it so it can be spun again to earn the strongest type of thread; She described how they synthetically dye it (so the colors will stay); And finally how they use a loom like method (there was no machinery it was laid on the ground) to put the rug together. They handed out some kind of an herbal tea, and nice sweets in the tent for us. She described generally how in Bedouin culture the woman in the past was a huge part of the family workings but then in modernity that role was significantly lessened. There was a bit of a woman's right to education discussion and how Hagar has been a part of that in encouraging all her children to further their studies on to university level. That organization is very interesting as they claim a lot of firsts - like the group we met with went to an inter cultural meeting in Phoenix Arizona and in so doing were the first Bedouin women to do anything of the kind. That took place in an accepted city (meaning the State of Israel will provide such services as water and electricity). Our next stop was to a Bedouin Sheik (word meaning "old man") near there in an unrecognized city (in order to become recognized the community of Bedouins would have to agree to certain requirements such as their able would have the obligation of joining the military) a man lead us around there showing us structures such as metal rectangle homes as well as examples of mud and tent homes which some there still use at times. He showed us their generator and some kind of a water pump they use in that town which was interesting. Our director here at the center mostly translated which was cool because we don't get to see him in action too much.
Our next stop was to Tel Arad which has two ancient ruins there. This area is a very important trade route location as a major road comes in from all the major directions. The first we visited was an old Canaanite settlement where they reconstructed one home to what they assumed it must have looked like. This settlement is at the base of the valley because that is where the water was most accessible - in fact there was a well there which was wide it had no water in the bottom though. There were remnants of the Canaanite wall there as well. Then up there hill was a Israelite fortress in which many letters were discovered of ancient date in the Governors Palace section. One of these letters reffered to the House of Yahweh at Tel Arad which undoubtedly refers to something extremely interesting. That is the thought that there can be temples outside Jerusalem (a concept which the Jews reject today). We got to go around the rooms which would be akin to the courtyard the Holy place and the Holy of Holies there. The Holy of Holies in Tel Arad consists of a small room with two incense pillars and two tomb like standing stones.
((Our professors talked to us and explained that there were many other temples such as the ancient one at Hazor and one at the Island of Elephantine. This contrasts greatly with the prevailing thought that Jews could ever only have one temple and that at Jerusalem. Some of these extra temples were shut down undoubtedly for false practice in them. But the one on the Island was destroyed at one point and a letter from Jerusalem informs them they can rebuild it minus the burnt offering section. However likely during the corrupt kings period they would have wanted to destroy all other temples so that a dependence on Jerusalem would be ensured. Anyway the feelings and way Lehi and Nephi go about building altars and later temples in the New World in the Book of Mormon seems to coincide with this thought that the temple in Jerusalem doesn't need to be the only one))
Our next stop was to Tel Ber Sheva which is called the "oath of well" or the "oath of seven" where Abraham makes an oath with Abimelech involving seven ewes (Gen 21:22-34). Later it's said that Isaac digs seven wells there (and his vision named "Jacobs ladder" happens right near the city). Coming up to the gate you can see a very deep well with water at the bottom - there's only a faint reflection of the water coming up. There are remnants of double gates as you enter and the probable site of where a altar used to be which was definitely cultic due to it's features is on the left. you can go up to an observation tower from which you get a great view of the city. And we took a different way out of the city underground! There is a ancient water reservoir there where you can walk through which is amazing though shorter than I imagined. There you could also see an aqueduct which they would have used to fill the reservoir (The well for outsiders the reservoir for city inhabitants this system provided safety)
Other than that I am in the middle of mid-terms right now in my classes which have all been pretty intensive I guess I better get back to that.
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