Jericho Journey

 Yoma 39

Mosaic floor of the sixth century “Shalom al Yisrael” synagogue (Photo credit: jewishjericho.org.il)

The smell of the incense would make goats sneeze in Jericho . . .

While this is definitely the most amusing connection between Jericho and the Bet HaMikdash, it is hardly the only one. On our page alone we hear about how in Jericho you could hear the sound of the Kohen Gadol saying God’s name in the vidui, you could hear the sound of the door hinges of the heichal and the smell of incense traveled so far that women in Jericho used it instead of perfume! In other place in the Gemara we hear of other connections between Jericho and Jerusalem: Jericho dates were the only dates worthy to be brought for Bikkurim, many priests lived in Jericho and it served as a base for aliya laregel and similar stories.

(photo credit: Ferrell Jenkins)

Leaving aside the Gemara’s hyperbole (maybe goats have very sensitive noses?), the point here is clearly to show how Jericho and Jerusalem are linked. Today if we think of Jericho at all, it is usually in the context of Tanakh: Joshua’s conquest, Elisha’s miracles. But I would like to explore a little of the story of Second Temple Jericho, a city second in importance only to Jerusalem.

Jericho has what all realtors want: a great location. It is on the main east – west road leading from Jordan to Jerusalem, and near the passages crossing the Jordan River. The cliffs  מצוק ההעתקים that make it nearly impossible to go west from the Dead Sea come to a breaking point here, making travel to Jerusalem possible, if steep. Jericho is also right near the north – south passageway of the Jordan Valley. This accessibility is part of why the rabbis refer to Jericho as נגרה של ארץ ישראל , the lock of the land of Israel: unlock (conquer) it and you are on your way to the center.

Jericho also has a very temperate climate and a strong, year-round water source. Josephus tells us that “the inhabitants dress in linen when the rest of Judea is under snow.” (Wars, 4:16) All these factors made Jericho the winter getaway for the wealthy of Jerusalem in Second Temple times. The Hasmoneans began by building palaces here and Herod continued with his magnificent structures. Here is part of the reconstructed Herodian bathhouse in Jericho:

(photo credit: Israel Museum) 

(haven’t seen the Herod exhibit in the Israel Museum yet? You’ve got 2 more weeks, go now if you live in Israel!)

Herod’s connection to Jericho was very deep – he not only wintered there, he had his brother-in-law Jonathan the high priest murdered there and he himself died there.

Jericho also had a great economy because of its agriculture and specifically its balsam אפרסמון  plantations (see this blog post: http://israeldaf.blogspot.co.il/2013/03/just-few-more-posts-out-of-order-before.html)

Today Jericho is a sleepy little town in the Palestinian authority. Jews are slowly starting to return to it as tourists, we hope it can be easily visited soon and its glory rediscovered.