{"id":88256,"date":"2021-02-02T18:35:16","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T16:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=88256"},"modified":"2021-02-02T18:35:16","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T16:35:16","slug":"cherished-dirt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/cherished-dirt\/","title":{"rendered":"Cherished Dirt"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"88256","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34243,"related_cahpter":"669","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Excuse me while I kiss the ground!\r\n\r\n","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A venerable custom amongst pilgrims to the Land of Israel (and, more recently, new immigrants) was, upon arrival, to prostrate themselves and kiss the ground. (This practice was immortalized in the opening lines of a once-popular Israeli song that begins: \u201cOnce a Jew arriving in Israel would kiss the ground and recite the <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gomel<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> blessing. Nowadays, the moment they descend from the airplane, they eat falafel and drink soda\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The scriptural basis for this custom\u2014to whatever extent it is needed\u2014consists of a pair of verses in our psalm <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You will surely arise and take pity on Zion, for it is time to be gracious to her; the appointed time has come. Your servants take delight in its stones and cherish its dust\u201d (14-15).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In describing the ways in which several scholars manifested their love for the Land of Israel, the Babylonian Talmud remarks: \u201c<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Abba used to kiss the cliffs of Akko. R. Hanina used to repair its roads. R. Ammi and R. Assi used to rise [from their seats to move] from the sun to the shade [in the summer] and from the shade to the sun [in the winter; Rashi: in order not to have cause to find fault with the weather]. R. Hiyya b. Gamda rolled himself in its dust, for it is said in Scripture: \u201cYour servants take delight in its stones and cherish its dust\u201d (Ketubot 112b).<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A responsum from the geonic era describes yet another occurrence predicated upon this verse:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span>Hayya Gaon (939-1038) wrote in response to a question raised by his father [Sherira]: [King] Jechoniah, who was exiled along with the artisans and smiths and the prophets who accompanied them, came to Nehardea [in Babylonia] and built a synagogue there out of dirt and stones they brought from the site of the Temple, to wit: \u201cYour servants take delight in its stones and cherish its dust.\u201d They named that synagogue Shaf Y\u2019tiv meaning the divine presence had traveled from the Temple and taken up residence in this site. (<\/span><em>T\u2019shuvat HaG\u2019onim Sha`aarei T\u2019shuvah<\/em><span> 71).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","image":{"ID":88257,"id":88257,"title":"ps102-kissing ground","filename":"ps102-kissing-ground.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps102-kissing-ground.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/cherished-dirt\/ps102-kissing-ground\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ps102-kissing-ground","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":88256,"date":"2021-02-02 16:34:28","modified":"2021-02-02 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