DREAM MAP of ISRAEL (with translations)
Artist: David Moss
Donated By: Robin Gordon and Terry Baker
(1)
(2) – This text is a combination of Psalm 122:2-3 and Psalm 122:6-7.
Translation: Our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem (black lettering). Jerusalem is built like a city that is compacted together. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you. May there be peace within your walls and security within your minarets.
Additional Notes:
- The first “Jerusalem” is written with black letters.
- The next two times “Jerusalem” is written with red letters.
(3) – This quote comes from the Midrash commentary on Numbers (Bamidbar Rabbah). Bamidbar Rabbah is an ancient religious discourse on the Book of Numbers. Specifically, the quote comes from Bamidbar Rabbah 23:7 which is part of the larger collection known as Midrash Rabbah.
Hebrew:
אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה
הארץ חביבה עלי וישראל
חביבים עלי אכניס את ישראל
שהם חביבים עלי לארץ
שחביבה עלי • במדבר רבה
Translation:
The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses:
“The Land is dear to Me, and Israel is
dear to Me. I shall bring Israel,
who are dear to Me, into the Land
that is dear to Me.” (Bamidbar Rabbah)
Additional Notes:
- “The Holy One, Blessed be He” (HaKadosh Baruch Hu) is a standard rabbinic title for God.
- “The Land” (Ha’Aretz) specifically refers to the Land of Israel.
- “Israel” (Yisrael) refers to the Jewish people.
(4) – This text is a famous passage from the Babylonian Talmud (Tractate Ketubot 111b). It describes an eyewitness account of God’s promise to provide a land flowing with milk and honey. During a visit to the ancient city of Bnei Brak, Rami bar Yehezkel observed goats grazing beneath fig trees. The honey oozing from overripe figs mixed with the milk dripping from the goats, literally forming streams of flowing milk and honey.
Translation:
Rami bar Yehezkel happened to visit Bnei Brak. He saw goats eating underneath fig trees, and honey was dripping from
the figs, and milk was dripping from the goats, and they were mixing with one another. He said: “This is ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’” — Tractate Ketubot
Additional Notes:
- Rami bar Yehezkel was a 3rd-century CE Jewish scholar who lived in Babylon and traveled to the Land of Israel.
- Bnei Brak was an ancient city in Israel (and a major city today) known for its fertile agricultural surroundings.
- In biblical terms, “honey” (devash) almost always refers to fruit honey (specifically the thick, sweet syrup that drips from overripe figs or dates) rather than bee honey.
- Read the Tractate Ketubot.
- Summary of Tractate Ketubot
(5) – This passage comes from the Parashat Eikev (a section of the Sifrei Devarim which is an ancient Rabbinic commentary [Midrash] on the Book of Deuteronomy). It features a teaching by a famous 2nd-century scholar, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, discussing the unique nature of the Land of Israel compared to all other lands.
Hebrew:
ר’ שמעון בן
יוחאי אומר
תבל זו ארץ
ישראל שנא’
שנאמר משחקת בתבל ארצו ולמה נקרא שמה
תבל שהיא מתבלת בכל שכל הארצות יש ב
בזו מה שאין בזו אבל ארץ ישראל אינה חסרה
כלום שנאמר לא תחסר כל בה • ספרי פ’ עקב
Translation:
Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says: “Tevel (world/universe) -— this refers to the Land of Israel, as it is stated: ‘Rejoicing in the tevel of His earth.’ And why is it called Tevel? Because it is seasoned (metubelet) with everything. For all other lands, there is in this one what is not in that one; but the Land of Israel does not lack anything, as it is stated: ‘A land where you will lack nothing in it.’” (Sifrei, Parashat Eikev)
Additional Notes:
- Wordplay on Tevel (תבל): Rabbi Shimon uses a classic rabbinic linguistic tool (a derashah) by connecting the Hebrew word Tevel (which generally means “world,” “universe,” or “earth”) to the root word for seasoning or spice (tavlin / metubelet).
- The “Seasoned” Land: Just as a perfectly seasoned dish contains a little bit of every flavor, the Land of Israel is both micro-climatic and geographically diverse. It contains a miniature version of all the world’s resources, landscapes, and blessings concentrated into one small area.
- Proverbs 8:31: ‘Rejoicing in the tevel of His earth’ is a direct quote from Proverbs.
- Deuteronomy 8:9: ‘A land where you will lack nothing in it’ is a direct quote from Deuteronomy.
- Parashat Eikev: The source cited at the end of the passage references a weekly Torah portion of Eikev which contains famous descriptions of the agricultural abundance of the Promised Land. Specifically, this passage is Sifrei Devarim 37:5.
(6) – This text comes from Genesis 23:19.
Translation: The burial place of Abraham is here. “Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan.”
Additional Notes:
- The location “Hebron” is written with red letters.
(7) – The Hebrew text surrounding the compass rose is Genesis 28:14. Starting in the NE corner and moving counter-clockwise, it reads:
והיה זרעך כעפר הארץ
And your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth,
ופרצת ימה וקדמה
and you shall spread out westward, eastward,
וצפנה ונגבה ונברכו בך
northward, and southward; and through you shall be blessed
כל משפחת האדמה
all the families of the earth.
(8) – This text is from Genesis 21:33.
Translation: He (Abraham) planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God.
Additional Notes:
- The location “Beersheba” is written with red letters.
Acre (Akko)
Beersheba – Beersheba was the traditional southern boundary of the Land of Israel. The phrase “from Dan to Beersheba” was used repeatedly to describe the entire territory of the Promised Land which spanned from Dan in the far north to Beersheba in the south.
The name is translated as both “Well of the Seven” and “Well of the Oath.” It was here that the patriarch Abraham dug a well, planted a tamarisk tree, and made a historic treaty with Abimelech (King of Gerar) to secure peace over water rights.
Cave – The cave mentioned on the map marks the location of eleven caves near Qumran where tens of thousands of scroll fragements were discoverd. These became known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Hebron – Hebron is the second holiest site in Judaism. Abraham purchased the Cave of Machpelah (known as The Cave of the Patriarchs) which serves as the final resting place for Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah. Furthermore, King David was anointed in Hebron and ruled the tribe of Judah from the city for seven and a half years before uniting all of Israel and eventually establishing the capital at Jerusalem. Both as the burial site of the biblical patriarchs and matriarchs and as the original capital of King David, Hebron has deep spiritual significance.
High Place
Jerusalem
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