9/11 Jerusalem event from yesterday and Unique Sites of Israel: Gate of Mercy (aka Shushan Gate and Eastern Gate) By Nosson Shulman and Spectacular Moon Goddess Coin Discovered off Carmel Coast
Yehuda Lave is an author, journalist, psychologist, rabbi, spiritual teacher, and coach, with degrees in business, psychology and Jewish Law. He works with people from all walks of life and helps them in their search for greater happiness, meaning, business advice on saving money, and spiritual engagement.
I hope you all enjoyed my column on the front page of the second section in the Jerusalem Post yesterday
The Three Musketeers at the Kotel
The Three are Rabbi Yehuda Glick, famous temple mount activist, and former Israel Mk, and then Robert Weinger, the world's greatest shofar blower and seller of Shofars, and myself after we had gone to the 12 gates of the Temple Mount in 2020 to blow the shofar to ask G-d to heal the world from the Pandemic. It was a highlight to my experience in living in Israel and I put it on my blog each day to remember.
The articles that I include each day are those that I find interesting, so I feel you will find them interesting as well. I don't always agree with all the points of each article but found them interesting or important to share with you, my readers, and friends. It is cathartic for me to share my thoughts and frustrations with you about life in general and in Israel. As a Rabbi, I try to teach and share the Torah of the G-d of Israel as a modern Orthodox Rabbi. I never intend to offend anyone but sometimes people are offended and I apologize in advance for any mistakes. The most important psychological principle I have learned is that once someone's mind is made up, they don't want to be bothered with the facts, so, like Rabbi Akiva, I drip water (Torah is compared to water) on their made-up minds and hope that some of what I have share sinks in. Love Rabbi Yehuda Lave.
Yesterday on a beautiful Jerusalem late summer day we went with Nefesh B Nefesh to their annual Sept 11 remembrance (it had been on a two year hiatus with Covid)
Beautiful ceremony well done
Unique Sites of Israel: Gate of Mercy (aka Shushan Gate and Eastern Gate)
Beautiful poppy flowers surrounding the Gate of Mercy. Between the gate and the flowers is a Muslim cemetery which was strategically placed here to prevent Mashiach (Messiah) from coming through this gate
"Be exceedingly happy, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold! Your king (Messiah) shall come to you. He is just and victorious; humble, and riding a donkey and a foal, the offspring of [one of] she-donkeys (Zechariah 9:9)"
"And you shall give it to Eleazar the kohen, and he shall take it outside the camp (via the Eastern Gate) and slaughter it in his presence (Number 19:3)"
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"The he-goat shall thus carry upon itself all their sins to a precipitous land, and he shall send off the he- goat (via the Eastern Gate) into the desert (Leviticus 16:22)"
The Gate of Mercy, sealed since 1541. According to Jewish tradition, this is the gate that Mashiach (Messiah) will come through! Photo Credit: Nikodem Nijaki – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unporte
Today we are exploring one of the most significant (though unfrequently visited) sites in the country, the Gate of Mercy, which is now sealed but leads to the top of the Temple Mount. What makes this site so important is not just because of its history, but also its future! That is because (according to Jewish tradition) this is where Mashiach (Messiah) will enter to redeem Israel.
Beautiful poppy flowers surrounding the Gate of Mercy. Between the gate and the flowers is a Muslim cemetery which was strategically placed here to prevent Mashiach (Messiah) from coming through this gate (more on that later). Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The Gate is found on the eastern wall of Jerusalem's Old City, which is by the far the oldest wall. Whereas most of the current walls surrounding the Old City are from the Ottomans in the 16th century, the visible bottom parts of the wall are from the Hasmonean period (circa 100 BCE), and the top parts are from the times of Herod (circa 20 BCE).
The Eastern Wall of Jerusalem (as seen from the Mount of Olives). The Gate of Mercy is circled in green. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
In the days of King Solomon (who built the First Temple), an eastern gate existed which led to the Temple Mount. It is believed to be close to the current gate, although it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 422 BCE (some historians say 586 BCE) along with the holy Temple. In 371 BCE, the Jews once again returned to Israel and rebuilt the Temple.
The First Temple (built by King Solomon). Photo from the Public domain
In 355 BCE after a wave of Jewish immigration back to Israel, Nehemiah rebuilt the city walls of Jerusalem. This included the construction of the Shushan (Eastern) Gate, named after the capital city of Persia, the empire that ruled Israel at that time. The Eastern gate even had a design of Shushan on it. According to Jewish sources, this was ordered by Persia so that the people would remember that they were living under Persian rule, and not to rebel. The gate led directly to the Temple Mount, and through it the High Priest lead the red heifer, an extremely rare cow, to the Mount of Olives. Due to the Torah specifications of what constitutes a red cow, only 9 have ever existed and in the days of Messiah, a 10th is to be found. The red heifer was slaughtered, with his remains being burned. The ashes of the animal would then be mixed with a special water, and then sprinkled on someone who had been impure (for example being near a corpse) in order to purify him. This was an extremely important procedure, otherwise, anyone who had ever been to a cemetery (or been in place where someone died while he was there) could not enter the Temple until they were purified (see Numbers 19 for more on the Red Heifer).
It was also through this gate on Yom Kippur (the holiest day of the year except for Shabbat) where the High Priest sent off the he-goat who had the lot on him which read "To Azazel". The goat would be brought to Azazel, a mountain in the Judean Desert, and killed. This was a very important commandment and an essential aspect in the atonement service of Yom Kippur (see Leviticus 16).
The Shushan Gate (seen on this model of the Second Temple located at the Israel Museum) was just below the Heichal (the central sanctuary of the Temple) and led to the Temple Mount. Photo Credit: Sarah Murray – CC BY-SA 2.0
The Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. In the 7th century (some say the end of the Byzantine Empire, while others say the early Islamic period) a new gate (Mercy Gate) was built on top of the ruins of the Shushan Gate
A diagram showing the older Shushan gate buried underground below the Mercy Gate. Photo Credit: Public domain
According to Jewish tradition, Mashiach will enter the city via the Mercy Gate and rebuild the Temple. In 1541 the Ottoman Turks who had just finished building the (current) City Walls of Jerusalem, sealed the gate in order to prevent the Messiah from entering and redeeming Israel. (The fact that they invested so many resources for this, clearly indicates that they also believed in the coming of Messiah). A Muslim cemetery was also placed there to prevent Elijah the Prophet, a Kohen (Priest) from heralding in Messiah (according to Torah law, a priest cannot enter a cemetery). Ironically, unbeknownst to the Turkish government at that time, a priest may enter a non-Jewish cemetery, so this graveyard does not hinder anything!
This Muslim cemetery was placed in front of the Mercy Gate to prevent Elijah from heralding in Messiah, although he could have entered anyway, as a priest can enter a non-Jewish cemetery! Photo Credit: Shutterstock
On your next trip to Israel, a view of the Mercy Gate can definitely enhance your trip experience. May the holy Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days!
(All images used were licensed by the author or are public domain)
The moon goddess Luna with the zodiac sign of Cancer on the coin's reverse side.
An exceptionally well-preserved, spectacular, rare bronze coin was recently recovered from the sea bed during an underwater archaeological survey conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority off the Carmel coast near Haifa.
The moon goddess Luna. / Dafna Gazit / Israel Antiquities Authority
The coin was minted under the emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161 CE) in Alexandria, Egypt. The reverse side depicts the zodiac sign of Cancer beneath a portrait of the moon goddess Luna. The coin bears the date 'Year eight', the eighth year of Antoninus Pius's rule, or 144/145 CE. It belongs to a series of thirteen coins, twelve depicting the different signs of the zodiac and another the complete zodiac wheel."
Emperor Antoninus Pius on the coin's front. / Dafna Gazit / Israel Antiquities Authority
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According to IAA Maritime Archaeology Unit director Jacob Sharvit, "this is the first time such a coin has been discovered off Israel's coast and it's a rare addition to the National Treasures collection. Israel's Mediterranean shores and waters have yielded many archaeological finds that attest to connections in antiquity between Mediterranean ports. These finds, which were lost at sea for hundreds and thousands of years, have been remarkably well preserved; some are extremely rare, and their discovery completes parts of the historical puzzle of our country's past."
The coin was discovered during an IAA survey to locate, document, research, and preserve antiquities sites and ancient finds—cultural assets that are being endangered by accelerated marine development.
Emperor Antoninus Pius. / Dafna Gazit / Israel Antiquities Authority
According to IAA Director Eli Eskosido, "in the last decade, the State of Israel has changed its perception of the sea. Rather than marking the country's border, the sea is now recognized as an integral part of it in terms of its cultural heritage in addition to security considerations and strategic and economic concerns. Israel's territorial waters contain natural resources and cultural assets that must be explored and protected. The maritime survey off Haifa is part of this process. The rare coin recovered during the survey is a vivid reminder of the importance of the survey."
Bust of Emperor Antoninus Pius. / Bibi Saint-Pol
Interestingly, the ruler who minted the coin, Antoninus Pius, unlike his predecessors, was not a military man and never participated in battles. His reign was the most peaceful in the history of the Roman Empire and marked the height of the period of Pax Romana (Roman peace). Antoninus had a different approach to running the Roman Empire, preferring to deal with any foreign crises through provincial governors; in fact, he never left Rome. He encouraged and initiated the construction of temples, theaters, and magnificent mausoleums, and promoted science and philosophy.
During his rule, the empire's relations with the Jews were greatly improved, the decrees of Hadrian were revoked, and Jews were allowed to practice circumcision. These steps led to amicable relations between the emperor and Rabbi Yehuda Ha-Nasi, head of the Sanhedrin during his rule and the final editor of the Mishna.
