THE VALLEY OF INNOCENCE

I enjoy taking people to Biblical and historical sites and talking about the stories that took place there.  Often, a visit to the actual site provides great understanding of the events in the story and helps to explain the reason that the characters acted the way they did.   One such site is depicted in the picture below.  So many events of Biblical and historical significance happened there that I am almost at a loss as to where to begin.

The photograph is taken from תל יזרעל [Tel of Jezreel] on the eastern side of the Jezreel Valley looking out onto the hill that sits int eh middle of the valley called Givat Hamoreh.  On the other side of Givat Hamoreh is the Mountain of Tabor, and Ein Harod is to be found just to the east of us on the right of the picture hidden from view by the adjascent hilltop.  Most of what we call the Jezreel Valley takes its name from this Tel and spreads out to the west of Givat Hamoreh all the way tot he Carmel mountains in the west.  The city of Afula sits in the middle of the valley to the west surrounded by rich agricultural lands that have served as the breadbasket of Israel from the Cannanite Period to the present.

This peaceful valley, lush with freshly plowed and seeded fields, has not surprisingly been the scene of numerous ferocious battles.  It was in 1260 CE that an ambitious and talented Egyptian based Mamaluk General by the name of Baibars defeated the armies of Hulagu Kahn [grandson of Gengis Kahn] and put a permanent stop to the Mongol penetration from Asia to the west.  This was the first defeat ever suffered by the Mongols in a major battle.  

Approximately 2,250 years earlier, the armies of the 5 Sarnei Pelishtim from Aza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gat, and Ekron gathereed here across the valley near the village of Shunam in order to engage King Shaul and his son Yehonatan in a battle for control of the mountains. It was here that Shaul disguised himself on the night before the battle and paid a surreptitious visit the to an Oracle at Ein Dor a few km to the north east.  It was there he learned of his imminent death and defeat in Battle and the death of  his sons and the likely end of his dynasty.  Nevertheless, he and his sons lead the Yisraelim into battle against the Pelishtim the next day and as predicted their bodies were tragically displayed  - hung on the walls of the city Beit Shean a few km to the east.  

During the Reign of King Ahav, one of the most powerful and perhaps one of the most evil kings of the First Temple Period, the King set his sights on purchasing the vineyard of one of his subjects in the valley below.  When his propositions were rebuffed, Queen Izevel, hatched a plot to falsely accuse the owner of the property, a man named Navot, of a capital crime in order to have him executed so that his property would fall into the king's hands.  It may have been near on those very Orchards that Eliyahu the Prophet confronted Ahav while pointing an accusatory finger and uttered the infamous words הרצחת וגם ירשת - can I have you murder and then allow you to inherit.  Above the spot where this photograph was taken the remains of what appears to be a luxurious place from the time a Ahav and Izevel were uncovered.  Perhaps this is the very palace where Izevel was captured by the soldiers of Yehu and where she was thrown from the window to her death, thus fulfilling the prophesy of Eiliyahu and marking the end of Ahav and all his descendants.

It was also centuries earlier here in this valley that the general Sisera atempted to divide the Gallil off from the south and thus divide and conquer the Israelite tribes.  Devora and her general Barak ben Avinoam, based on the mountain of Tabor defeated him here with Hashem's help and the heroine Yael finsihed Sisera off with a tent peg and a hammer.  

Also in the Period of the Shoftim, this valley was the destination of the Midianite hoards that invaded the Jewish agricultural heartland in order to steal their crops and provisions.  The Judge and leader Gidon selected only the most trustworthy and elite soldiers in order to deal with this invasion.  He gathered his troops at the nearby spring at Ein Harod and tested them by closely observing their behavior as they drank from the cool waters.  Once he felt certain that he had selected only the most worthy among them organized them into a small force of guerrilla warriors equipped with torches and empty pitchers in order to attack the sleeping intruders in the middle of the night.  With only this small force he was able to rout the Midianites and chase them across the Jordan river and deep into their own territory. 

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that such a beautiful rich and lush part of the Israeli landscape was also the site for so much conflict and jealousy.  However the stories need to be told if we are to learn from past mistakes and emerge better prepared to confront the challenges of the future.