Posted by: Joe Yudin | April 16, 2010

This past Passover holiday I found myself guiding two Jewish families in Jerusalem from New York City. A couple days after saying those famous words at the end of the seder “Next Year in Jerusalem!” I was sloshing my way through the water tunnel underneath the city which was dug by the Jewish king, Hezekiah around the year 730 BCE (2, 700 years ago), to safeguard the city’s water supply from a rampaging Assyrian army. 200 years after King Hezekiah saved Jerusalem, King Zedekiah didn’t have the same wisdom or inspiration and in 586 BCE, Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple were burned to the ground by Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army. Only after Cyrus, King of Persia conquered Babylonia, were the Jews allowed back to Israel, and rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem. Still today our major concern of our survival here in Israel as a free, democratic and Jewish state is of our enemies who have vowed to destroy us in Assyria (Syria), Persia (Iran) and Babylonia (Iraq). Time goes on but the narrative seems to be the same here in the Middle East.

As I contemplated this threat I recall the second Jewish King of Israel, David who 3,000 years ago conquered those parts of the Land of Israel that were occupied by Philistines, Canaanites and other tribes, and that he was consolidating his power within the twelve tribes of Israel themselves. One of his last conquests was the city of Jebus, later to be known as Jerusalem: the City of David. The people of Jebus were so confident that their tall, think walls were impenetrable, and that their water supply was fortified and hidden, that they sent…

the inhabitants of the land, who spoke unto David, saying: 'Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither'; thinking: 'David cannot come in hither.' (II Samuel 5:6)

In otherworld’s they sent their lame and blind to taunt David and his soldiers. David offers a challenge and his best friend and confidant Yoav (Joab) takes up his challenge. 

And David said on that day: 'Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites, and getteth up to the gutter, and [taketh away] the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul--.' Wherefore they say: 'There are the blind and the lame; he cannot come into the house.' (II Samuel 5:7-10)

And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and was made chief. And David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it the city of David. And he built the city round about, from Millo even round about; and Joab repaired the rest of the city. And David waxed greater and greater; for the LORD of hosts was with him. (I Chron 11:6-9)

What is going on here? Well a walk through the ruins of the City of David park in Jerusalem (see website here: http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/hp_eng.asp) make this entire story come alive. This biblical passage is probably referring to the way we came down into the water system. The Canannaite pick axe marks line the passage. The layer between Israelite (Hezekiah 8th century BCE) and Canannite (14th century BCE) is clearly discernable. All is laid out in front of you and David’s conquest becomes clear. The tunnels, fortifications, walls and reservoir, Canaanite and Israelite all around us make the story feel as if it just happened yesterday.

Today we take it for granted. Hundreds of thousands of tourists, Israelis and foreigners, walk through the ruins of King David’s Palace, the Royal Archives, Hezekiah’s water Tunnel and the Siloam Pool every year, but just over 40 years ago Israelis were forbidden from this side of the city and most of these ancient remains remained buried under thousands of years of debris. Today, everyone and anyone is free to revisit the biblical narrative in the place where it all happened. Hopefully, all will be able to continue to do so well into the future. Only time will tell.