On the occasion of Purim, the Israel Antiquities Authority is presenting an online exhibition of ancient masks and rattles

Posted by Sigal Mendelson on February 23, 2010 under Archeology, Holidays, Jewish Holidays | Read the First Comment

In honor of the Purim holiday, the Israel Antiquities Authority is presenting a new virtual exhibition on its website, www.antiquities.org.il, of masks and rattles that were discovered in archaeological excavations around the country.

Appearing in the exhibition are various masks that portray humans and animals, the oldest of which is from the Stone Age and dates to c. 6500 BCE.

A mask may change a person’s identity, his age and gender, social status and everyday appearance. Many ceremonial masks were used for ritual purposes such as rainmaking, curing disease and exorcising spirits and demons. Oftentimes such masks were in the image of deities or demons.

The use of rattles during the reading of the scroll is a symbolic expression of the extermination of the Amalekites, the first people whom the Israelites fought when they were wandering in the desert (Exodus 17:8-13). According to tradition, Haman was a descendant of the Amalekites.

Clay rattles that contain small stones or other materials for making noise were found in archaeological excavations in the country. The rattles occur in a variety of shapes, some are adorned with a painted or engraved decoration, but all of them produce the same noise that is characteristic of a rattle.

Most of the rattles were found in a cultic context or inside tombs and therefore there are those who believe that they were primarily used for ritual purposes. The frequency with which rattles occur in excavations throughout the country is explained by the fact that they are small objects that were relatively easy to manufacture and were used by the general population. There is the assertion that the clay rattle was an important musical instrument in the religious practices of the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah during the First Temple period.

Rattle from Hazor. Photograph: Clara Amit, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority

Mask – image of a man, from Akhziv. Photograph: Miki Koren, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

image of a person, from Solomon’s Pillars. Photograph: Leonid Padrol, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Grotesque mask from Akhziv. Photograph: Miki Koren, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

E-H Dictionary

English	How pronounced	Hebrew
Mask	Masekhah	מסכה
Ceremony	Tekes	טקס
Ceremonial	Tiksy	טקסי
rattle	Ra’ashan	רעשן
Materials	Khomarim	חומריםי
Spirits	Rukhot	רוחות
Demon / Demons	Shed / Shedim)	שד / שדים
Noise	Ra’ash	רעש

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Christmas Celebrations in Israel

Posted by Sigal Mendelson on December 25, 2009 under Holidays, Traditions, Traveling in Israel, Vacations in Israel | Be the First to Comment

Thousands of Christians will attend Midnight Mass at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity.

Christian pilgrims from around the world will join local Palestinian and Arab-Israeli Christians for Thursday night’s service.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to attend.

Israel has also announced that an unlimited number of West Bank Palestinians will be allowed to enter Israel for holiday and family gatherings. More than 10,000 permits valid between Dec. 20 and Jan. 20 have already been issued, according to Israeli military officials.

In addition, 300 Palestinian Christians in the Gaza Strip over the age of 35 will be allowed to enter the West Bank for 24 hours during the Christmas holiday. Another 300 Palestinian Christians will be permitted to travel to Ben Gurion International Airport. These permits will be issued subject to a security clearance.

During the holiday season, all the crossings into Bethlehem will be open 24 hours a day, according to an IDF official. Additional staff from the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria are scheduled to help ensure easy passage for visitors.

"Israeli security forces will continue to operate in order to ensure freedom of religion and normal way of life for Palestinians uninvolved in terrorism," the statement said.

The beginning of Christmas celebrations in Israel began Thursday afternoon when the Roman Catholic Church’s Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal began his annual Christmas procession from Jerusalem to Manger Square in Bethlehem. Twal led the Midnight Mass.

Santa in Jerusalem (www.JerusalemShots.com)

Christmas Blessing by President Shimon Peres

E-H Dictionary

English	How pronounced	Hebrew
Church	K’nesiyah	כנסיה
Holiday	Khag	חג
Christian	Notzri	נוצרי
Celebration	Khagigah	חגיגה
Security	Bitakhon	ביטחון
procession	Takalukhah	תהלוכה

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Khol Hamoed – Weekdays of the Holiday

Posted by Sigal Mendelson on October 12, 2009 under Holidays, Jewish Holidays, Traditions | Be the First to Comment

Khol HaMoed, (חול המועד‎) is a Hebrew expression referring to the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot. During Khol Hamoed the usual restrictions that apply to the Biblical Jewish holidays are relaxed, but not entirely eliminated.For example, work that would normally be prohibited on the holiday would be allowed to prevent financial loss or if the results of the work are needed for the holiday itself.Work for public need is also allowed. Halle and Mussaf prayers must be said on these days, as on Yom Tov, although on Khol Hamoed of Passover, an abridged form of Hallel is recited. The tachanun prayer is also omitted.Passover is a seven-day festival (eight in the Diaspora), of which days second through sixth – third through sixth in the Diaspora – are Khol HaMoed. Sukkot is a seven-day festival, of which days second through seventh (third through seventh in the Diaspora) are Khol HaMoed.On Khol HaMoed there are four aliyot at the Torah reading in synagogue, as opposed to the standard three of weekdays, pointing to the festive nature of Khol HaMoed.

Courtesy JerusalemShots.com

E-H Dictionary

English	How pronounced	Hebrew
Restrictions	Hagbalot	הגבלות
Prayer	T’filah	תפילה
weekdays	Yemot Hashavu’ah	ימות השבוע
Diaspora	Galut	גלות
Prohibited	Asur	אסור