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97-541: There have long been two distinct classes of leaders in Israel—the scholar and rabbi, and the preacher or maggid . That the popular prophet was sometimes called "maggid" is maintained by those who translate מַגִּיד מִשְׁנֶה ‎ ( maggid mishne ) Zechariah 9:12 , by "the maggid repeats" ( Löwy , "Beqoret ha-Talmud," p. 50). Like the Greek sophists , the early maggidim based their preaching on questions addressed to them by

194-470: A Davidic Jewish clan from Babylon . But according to archaeological and literary evidence, upper and lower Galilee were 'very much in constant touch with the gentile, Greek-speaking cities that surrounded them.' Many Galileans were bilingual and made daily contacts with Jerusalem and gentiles around the Roman territory. Markus Cromhout states that while Galileans, Judeans and diasporic Judeans were all Jewish,

291-859: A pagan population with close ties to the Phoenician coast. During the expansion of the Hasmonean kingdom of Judea , much of the Galilee region was conquered and annexed by the first Hasmonean king Aristobulus I (104–103 BCE). Following the Hasmonean conquest, there was a significant Jewish influx into the area. Sites including Yodfat , Meiron , Sepphoris , Shikhin , Qana , Bersabe , Zalmon , Mimlah, Migdal , Arbel , Kefar Hittaya, and Beth Ma'on have archeological-chronological evidence for this settlement wave. Josephus , who based his account on Timagenes of Alexandria , claimed that Aristobulus I had forcibly converted

388-481: A Roman client state and Antipas paid tribute to the Roman Empire in exchange for Roman protection. The Romans did not station troops in Galilee, but threatened to retaliate against anyone who attacked it. As long as he continued to pay tribute, Antipas was permitted to govern however he wished and was permitted to mint his own coinage. Antipas was relatively observant of Jewish laws and customs. Although his palace

485-500: A celestial entity, most commonly an angel, who manifests itself as a voice delivering mystical secrets to a kabbalist, or sometimes speaking through the mouths of the chosen ones. The greater popularity of the maggid as compared with the darshan is instanced from aggadic (homiletical or narrative material, as opposed to legal halachic material) stories in the Talmud (main text of Rabbinic Oral Torah discussion). The Talmud relates that

582-652: A center for kabbalah . In the mid-17th century Galilee and Mount Lebanon became the scene of the Druze power struggle , which came in parallel with much destruction in the region and decline of major cities. In the mid-18th century, Galilee was caught up in a struggle between the Arab leader Zahir al-Umar and the Ottoman authorities who were centred in Damascus . Zahir ruled Galilee for 25 years until Ottoman loyalist Jezzar Pasha conquered

679-629: A combination of agriculture, fishing, and specialized crafts. Excavations in villages like Nazareth have revealed extensive agricultural infrastructure, including numerous olive presses and granaries. Olive was extensively grown in parts of Upper Galilee. Many towns and villages, particularly those around the Sea of Galilee benefited from both fertile land and a thriving fishing industry. In Tarichaea ( Magdala ), salted, dried, and pickled fish were significant export goods. Galilee also had specialized production centers. Shihin , near Sepphoris, produced most of

776-513: A decline in population due to raids by nomadic groups and insufficient protection from the central government. After the Muslim conquest of the Levant in the 630s, the Galilee formed part of Jund al-Urdunn (the military district of Jordan), itself part of Bilad al-Sham (Islamic Syria). Its major towns were Tiberias the capital of the district, Qadas , Beisan , Acre , Saffuriya , and Kabul . During

873-525: A descendant of the Dubner Maggid, Moshe Kranc wrote down several parables of his, along with modern interpretations, in a book about business and Jewish stories: "The Hasidic Masters' Guide to Management" (The Dubner Maggid was not Hasidic, but followed Lithuanian Jewish Orthodox spirituality. There are stories of his relationship with the Vilna Gaon). The most celebrated maggid during the nineteenth century

970-560: A disciple and member of the Baal Shem Tov's close inner circle. After the death of his Master, the disciples appointed Dov Ber to become his successor, leading the new Hasidic movement in the early years of its establishment. Rabbi Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezeritch or "Great Maggid", is regarded as the first exponent of the philosophical system within the Baal Shem Tov's new teachings and doctrines, and one of its most important propagators. He became

1067-527: A greatly extended range) by Hezbollah on the whole of Galilee, with long-range, ground-launched missiles hitting as far south as the Sharon Plain , Jezreel Valley , and Jordan Valley below the Sea of Galilee. In 2006, there were 1.2 million residents in Galilee, of whom 47% were Jewish. The Jewish Agency has attempted to increase the Jewish population in this area, but the non-Jewish population also has

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1164-637: A license to marry, he settled as a business man in Bielitz , and in 1846 was appointed district rabbi of Wadowice , with a seat at Oświęcim (Auschwitz). In 1854 he was elected rabbi of Beuthen , which position he continued to hold until his death. Löwy was the author of Biḳḳoret ha-Talmud: Kritisch-Talmudisches Lexikon , containing 150 articles for a proposed Talmudic encyclopedia. He also published studies in Ha-Maggid , Ha-Melitz , and other journals. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from

1261-693: A maggidic scholar, was one of a community of great Jewish spiritual figures who shaped Jewish thought, in the 16th-century town of Safed in the Galilee . Others in his circle included the compiler of the Shulchan Aruch code, Yosef Karo, and the leading Kabbalists Moses Cordovero and Isaac Luria. In the mystical environment of this community, the Alshech preached every Sabbath before large audiences. Isaac Luria attended his expositions, which included Kabbalistic aspects. In his classic Biblical commentaries he followed closely

1358-502: A new stage and revival in Jewish mysticism. Hasidic philosophy internalised the abstract theological system of the earlier Kabbalah , by relating it to man's inner psychological awareness. This saw Divine omnipresence in everything, and brought this into personal dveikus (cleaving) through joyful fervour in daily life. This new teaching had popular appeal to the common folk, but also attracted great scholars who saw its deeper significances and philosophical depths. The Baal Shem Tov opposed

1455-405: A publication now in the public domain :  Eisenstein, Judah David; Jacobs, Joseph (1906). "Maggid" . In Singer, Isidore ; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia . Vol. 8. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. pp. 252–254. Jacob Ezekiel L%C3%B6wy Jacob Ezekiel Löwy ( Hebrew : יעקב יחזקאל הלוי , German : Jacob Ezechiel Löwy ; August 24, 1814 – November 20, 1864)

1552-455: A publication now in the public domain :  Singer, Isidore; Deutsch, Gotthard (1904). "Löwy, Jacob Ezekiel" . In Singer, Isidore ; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia . Vol. 8. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 197. Galilee Galilee ( / ˈ ɡ æ l ɪ l iː / ; Hebrew : הַגָּלִיל , romanized :  hagGālīl ; Latin : Galilaea ; Arabic : الجليل , romanized :  al-jalīl )

1649-539: A rebel named Judah plundered Galilee's largest city, Sepphoris . According to Josephus, the Syrian governor Publius Quinctilius Varus responded by sacking Sepphoris and selling the population into slavery, but the region's archaeology lacks evidence of such destruction. After the death of Herod the Great that same year, his son Herod Antipas was appointed as tetrarch of Galilee by the Roman emperor Augustus . Galilee remained

1746-627: A security force on the Israeli side of the international border recognized by the United Nations . The move brought a collapse to the South Lebanon Army and takeover of Southern Lebanon by Hezbollah. However, despite Israeli withdrawal, clashes between Hezbollah and Israel continued along the border, and UN observers condemned both for their attacks. The 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict was characterized by round-the-clock Katyusha rocket attacks (with

1843-584: A student of the Musar movement . In the middle of his preaching he would pause to recite with the people the "Shema koleinu", and the "Ashamnu," raising the audience to a high pitch of religious emotion. The maggid usually ended his preaching with the words. "u-ba le-Tziyyon goel," etc. (a redeemer shall come to Zion speedily in our days; let us say "Amen"). Some of the wandering maggidim acted also as meshullachim (collectors of money for institutions). The yeshivot in Russia and

1940-527: Is a modern term referring to the western part of the Upper Galilee and its shore, and usually also the northwestern part of the Lower Galilee, mostly overlapping with Acre sub-district. Galilee Panhandle is a common term referring to the "panhandle" in the east that extends to the north, where Lebanon is to the west, and includes Hula Valley and Ramot Naftali mountains of the Upper Galilee. According to

2037-482: Is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon . Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee ( הגליל העליון , ha-galil ha-elyon ; الجليل الأعلى , al-jalīl al-aʾlā ) and Lower Galilee ( גליל תחתון , galil tahton ; الجليل الأسفل , al-jalīl al-asfal ). Galilee refers to all of the area north of the Mount Carmel - Mount Gilboa ridge and south of

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2134-568: Is in the construct state , leading to [גְּלִיל הַגּוֹיִם] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |translit= ( help ) "Galilee of the nations", which refers to gentiles who settled there at the time the book was written, either by their own volition or as a result of the resettlement policy of the Neo-Assyrian Empire . The borders of Galilee, split into Upper Galilee and Lower Galilee , were described by Josephus in his The Jewish War : Now Phoenicia and Syria encompass about

2231-491: Is one who preached from Arama's "Aqedat" and Bachya 's "Chobot ha-Lebabot" ('Duties of the heart'). Enoch Sundl Luria, the author of "Kenaf Renanim", on "Pirqe Shirah" ( Krotoschin , 1842), was a noted philosophical maggid. Meïr Leibush Malbim (d. 1880), in his voluminous commentaries on the Bible, followed to some extent Abravanel and Alshech, and his conclusions are pointed and logical. Malbim's commentaries are considered to offer

2328-510: The Dubner Maggid (d. 1804), author of "Ohel Ya'aqob", adopted the Midrash 's method of explaining by parables and the incidents of daily life, such as the relations between the man of the city and the "yeshubnik" (village man), between the bride, the bridegroom, and the "mechuttanim" (contracting parents), and compared their relations to those between Israel and God. He drew also moral lessons from

2425-837: The Amila tribe. The Islamization process in which began with the settlement of nomadic tribes. Michael Ehrlich suggests that during the Early Islamic period, the majority of people in the Western Galilee and Lower Galilee likely converted to Islam, while in the Eastern Galilee, the Islamization process continued for a more extended period, lasting until the Mamluk period. According to Moshe Gil, Jews in rural Galilean areas frequently succeeded in upholding community life during and for decades after

2522-587: The Ayyubid period, and in particular during the Mamluk period. These immigrants included Sufi preachers who were crucial in converting the locals to Islam in Safed's rural area. Jewish immigrants did, however, come to the area in waves, during the period of the destruction of Tyre and Acre in 1291 and particularly after the Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492. These immigrants, who included scholars and other urban elites, turned

2619-558: The Bible , Galilee was named by the Israelites and was the tribal region of Naphthali and Dan, at times overlapping the Tribe of Asher 's land. Normally, Galilee is just referred to as "Naphthali". 1 Kings 9 states that Solomon rewarded his Phoenician ally, King Hiram I of Sidon , with twenty cities in the land of Galilee, which would then have been either settled by foreigners during and after

2716-588: The Great Jewish Revolt , Josephus was appointed by the Jerusalem provisional government to command Galilee. The region experienced internal conflicts among cities such as Sepphoris and Tiberias, with factions opposing Josephus's authority and warring for control. Sepphoris and other strong cities attempted to remain neutral by maintaining alliances with Rome. Despite opposition, Josephus managed to secure internal peace and fortified nineteen cities in preparation for

2813-716: The Itureans to Judaism while annexing a portion of their territory. Schürer believed this information to be accurate and came to the conclusion that the "Jewish" Galilee of Jesus' day was actually inhabited by the offspring of those same Iturean converts. Other scholars have suggested that the Itureans underwent a voluntary conversion to Judaism in the Upper Galilee, or at the very least in the Eastern Upper Galilee. However, archeological information does not support either proposal, as Iturean material culture has been identified clearly in

2910-564: The Mishnah at this time period represented the peak of intense cultural activity. Archaeological surveys in the Galilee have revealed that the region experienced its height of thriving settlement during this time. According to medieval Hebrew legend, Shimon bar Yochai , one of the most famed of all the tannaim , wrote the Zohar while living in Galilee. After the completion of the Mishnah, which marked

3007-586: The Occupied Enemy Territory Administration . Shortly after, in 1920, the region was included in the British Mandate territory, officially a part of Mandatory Palestine from 1923. After the 1948 Arab–Israeli war , nearly the whole of Galilee came under Israel's control. A large portion of the population fled or was forced to leave, leaving dozens of entire villages empty; however, a large Israeli Arab community remained based in and near

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3104-426: The "Arabian Nights" and from other secular stories in illustrating explanations of a midrash or a Biblical text. Moses Mendelssohn named Kranz the "Jewish Æsop ". His most famous parable is about how he finds appropriate parables: Walking in the woods a man sees many trees with targets drawn on them. Each target with an arrow in the center, and a little boy with a bow. The little boy acknowledges that he had shot all

3201-403: The "Midrash Peli'ah" ('wonderful, obscure midrash'). H. Ersohn's biography of Höschel, in his "Chanukkat ha-Torah" (Pietrkov, 1900), gives a collection of 227 "sayings" gathered from 227 books by various writers, mostly Höschel's pupils. These sayings became current among the maggidim, who repeated them on every occasion. Some maggidim copied his methods and even created a pseudo-Midrash Peli'ah for

3298-523: The "Shebet' Musar". It established a new "fire and brimstone" school of maggidim. Musar ('admonishment') is a thread in traditional Jewish thought that seeks ethical inspiration, integrity or admonishment to motivate religious devotion. Classic texts of ethical guidance from the Middle Ages articulate spiritual and psychological levels to righteousness. The later 19th century Musar movement sought to incorporate spiritual introspection and self-analysis into

3395-673: The Egyptian troops, though in 1838, the Druze of Galilee led another uprising . In 1834 and 1837 , major earthquakes leveled most of the towns, resulting in great loss of life. Following the 1864 Tanszimat reforms in the Ottoman Empire, the Galilee remained within Acre Sanjak , but was transferred from Sidon Eyalet to the newly formed Syria Vilayet and shortly, from 1888, became administered from Beirut Vilayet . In 1866, Galilee's first hospital,

3492-597: The Galileans had their unique social, political and economic matrix. In terms of ethnicity, Galileans were ethnic Judeans, which generally saw themselves also as Israelites, but could be also identified with localized characteristics, such as Sepphorean. Others argue that Galileans and Judeans were distinct people groups. Outsiders generally conflated them due to Hellenistic-Roman culture, which grouped all diverse groups in Palestine and their related diasporas as "Judean". In 4 BCE,

3589-598: The Galilees, which are two, and called the Upper Galilee and the Lower. They are bounded toward the sun-setting, with the borders of the territory belonging to Ptolemais , and by Carmel ; which mountain had formerly belonged to the Galileans, but now belonged to the Tyrians; to which mountain adjoins Gaba , which is called the City of Horsemen, because those horsemen that were dismissed by Herod

3686-469: The Jewish community from a rural community into an urban hub which exerted its influence well beyond the regional boundaries of Upper Galilee. During Early Ottoman era, the Galilee was governed as the Safad Sanjak , initially part of the larger administrative unit of Damascus Eyalet (1549–1660) and later as part of Sidon Eyalet (1660–1864). During the 18th century, the administrative division of Galilee

3783-525: The Jews from Spain in 1492 revealed a master maggid in Isaac Abravanel . His homiletic commentary on the Bible became an inexhaustible source of suggestion for future maggidim. In his method of explaining every chapter, preceded by a number of questions, he followed the early maggidim and sophists. His long argumentations in an easy and fluent style were admirably suited to the purposes of a maggid. Moses Alshech ,

3880-537: The Masters to a new degree in Judaism, reflecting the importance of the mystical adherence to a Tzaddik. The popular titles of each Master therefore reflect personal endearment and reverence. Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch (דוב בער ממזריטש) (1704/1710?-1772) is known as the Maggid (literally 'Sayer') of Mezritsh after being the Maggid of the town of Rovne . After initially being opposed to the Baal Shem Tov's new ideas, he became

3977-482: The Messianic hope in the hearts of the people. The maggidim's deliverances were generally lacking in literary merit, and were composed largely of current phrases, old quotations, and Biblical interpretations which were designed merely for temporary effect; therefore none of the sermons which were delivered by them have been preserved. Maggidism reached a period of high literary activity in the 16th century. The expulsion of

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4074-564: The Messianic quest in Judaism. Asher Lemmlein preached in Germany and Austria, announcing the coming of the Messiah in 1502, and found credence everywhere. Solomon Molko preached, without declaring the date of the advent, in both Italy and Turkey, and as a result was burned at the stake in Mantua in 1533. R. Höschel of Cracow (d. 1663) delighted in the elucidation of difficult passages in the midrash known as

4171-667: The Nazareth Hospital , was founded under the leadership of American-Armenian missionary Dr. Kaloost Vartan , assisted by German missionary John Zeller . In the early 20th century, Galilee remained part of Acre Sanjak of Ottoman Syria. It was administered as the southernmost territory of the Beirut Vilayet . Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I , and the Armistice of Mudros , it came under British rule, as part of

4268-527: The Roman invasion; nearly half of them were uncovered by archaeologists. In 67 CE, the Roman army, led by general Vespasian , arrived in Acre. Josephus's account, The Jewish War , details the Roman campaign in Galilee , starting with the siege and capture of Gabara, followed by Jotapata (where Josephus was captured), and continuing with Tiberias, Taricheae, Gamala, Tabor, and ending in Gischala. While not all of Galilee

4365-571: The Roman period, were now predominantly inhabited by Christians or had a significant Christian population. Safrai and Liebner argue that the decline of the Jewish population and the expansion of the Christian population in the region were separate events that happened at different times. Throughout this period, religious segregation between Christian and Jewish villages endured, with few exceptions like Capernaum and perhaps Nazareth , due to their sanctity in Christian tradition. Leibner has proposed tying

4462-684: The Umayyad period. He comes to the conclusion that several Galilean Jewish communities "retained their ancient character". The Shia Fatimids conquered the region in the 10th century; a breakaway sect, venerating the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim , formed the Druze religion, centered in Mount Lebanon and partially in the Galilee. During the Crusades , Galilee was organized into the Principality of Galilee , one of

4559-622: The Upper and Western Galilee from Lebanon . This came in parallel to the general destabilization of Southern Lebanon , which became a scene of fierce sectarian fighting which deteriorated into the Lebanese Civil War . On the course of the war, Israel initiated Operation Litani (1979) and Operation Peace For Galilee (1982) with the stated objectives of destroying the PLO infrastructure in Lebanon, protecting

4656-520: The admonishing methods of the "musar" maggidim, which criticised and demoralised, as well as motivated, the community. His mysticism saw the inner holiness of each person. He would often illustrate to his disciples the preciousness in God's eyes of the simple sincerity of the unlearned Jewish folk. In the biographical hagiography of stories about the Baal Shem Tov, his encounters and "conversions" of admonishing preachers are recounted, as well as his encounters with

4753-606: The architect of the new movement, devoting his attention to developing an academy of leading scholars and future leaders (the "Chevra Kaddisha"-Holy Society) to spread Hasidism across each of the regions of Western Europe after his death. His teachings appear in the volume Magid Devarav L'Yaakov . His inner circle of disciples included Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk , Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli , Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev , Rabbi Aharon (HaGadol) of Karlin , Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk , and Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi . [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from

4850-506: The area became deserted following the Assyrian conquest in the 8th century and remained so for several centuries; the local Israelite population was carried off to Assyria after 732 BCE. Yardenna Alexandre discovered minor short-lived Israelite settlements in the Naḥal Ẓippori basin, which were built by survivors of the Assyrian conquest. Elsewhere, Galilee was depopulated. But there is evidence of Assyrian presence, based on artefacts in Cana , and Konrad Schmid and Jens Schroter believe it

4947-687: The arrows. When further questioned he answers: 'First I shoot the arrow, then I draw the target'. Kranz's pupil Abraham Dov Bär Flahm edited and published the Dubner Maggid's writings, and a host of other maggidim adopted this method. In the same period there were Jacob Israel of Kremnitz , author of "Shebet' mi-Yisrael," a commentary on the Psalms ( Zolkiev , 1772); Judah Löw Edel of Slonim, author of "Afiqe Yehudah," sermons ( Lemberg , 1802); Chayyim Abraham Katz of Moghilef, author of "Milchama ve-Shalom" ( Shklov , 1797); Ezekiel Feiwel of Deretschin, author of "Toledot Adam" (Dyhernfurth, 1809) and maggid in Wilna (Levinsohn, "Bet Yehudah," ii. 149). In modern times,

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5044-445: The best material for the use of maggidim. From the "terror", or " Musar ", maggid developed the "penitential" maggid, who, especially during the month of Elul and the ten days of penitence between New-Year's Day and Yom Kippur , urged the wicked to repent of their sins and seek God's forgiveness. One of these "penitential" preachers was Jacob Joseph , chief rabbi of the Russian Jews in New York (d. 1902), formerly maggid of Wilna, and

5141-431: The charitable institutions of Jerusalem, especially the Va'ad ha-Kelali, sent abroad meshullach-maggidim. The resident maggid who preached at different synagogues in one city was called the "Stadt Maggid", as in Wilna and other large cities in Russia. The modern, or " maskil ", maggid was called "Volksredner" (people's orator), and closely followed the German "Prediger" in his method of preaching. Tzebi Hirsch Dainow (d. 1877)

5238-444: The cities of Nazareth, Acre , Tamra , Sakhnin , and Shefa-'Amr , due to some extent to a successful rapprochement with the Druze. The kibbutzim around the Sea of Galilee were sometimes shelled by the Syrian army 's artillery until Israel seized Western Golan Heights in the 1967 Six-Day War . During the 1970s and the early 1980s, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) launched multiple attacks on towns and villages of

5335-549: The citizens of the Galilee and supporting allied Christian Lebanese militias. Israel took over much of southern Lebanon in support of Christian Lebanese militias until 1985, when it withdrew to a narrow security buffer zone . From 1985 to 2000, Hezbollah , and earlier Amal , engaged the South Lebanon Army supported by the Israel Defense Forces , sometimes shelling Upper Galilee communities with Katyusha rockets. In May 2000, Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak unilaterally withdrew IDF troops from southern Lebanon, maintaining

5432-508: The city of Sepphoris, and in either 18 CE or 19 CE, he founded the new city of Tiberias . These two cities became Galilee's largest cultural centers. They were the main centers of Greco-Roman influence, but were still predominantly Jewish. A massive gap existed between the rich and poor, but lack of uprisings suggest that taxes were not exorbitantly high and that most Galileans did not feel their livelihoods were being threatened. Late in his reign, Antipas married his half-niece Herodias , who

5529-418: The conclusion of the tannaitic era, came the period of the amoraim . The Jerusalem Talmud , the principal work of the amoraim in Palestine, is primarily discussions and interpretations of the Mishnah, and according to academic research, most of it was edited in Tiberias . The vast majority of the amoraim named there, as well as the majority of the settlements or place names referenced, were Galileans. By

5626-451: The early Islamic period, Galilee underwent a process of Arabization and Islamization , similar to other areas in the region. Under Umayyad rule, Islamic rule was gradually consolidated in newly conquered territories, and some Muslims settled in the villages, establishing residency there. Later, under Abbasid rule, geographer al-Ya'qubi (d. 891), who referred to the region as 'Jabal al-Jalil' , noted that its inhabitants were Arabs from

5723-418: The east–west section of the Litani River . It extends from the Israeli coastal plain and the shores of the Mediterranean Sea with Acre in the west, to the Jordan Rift Valley to the east; and from the Litani in the north plus a piece bordering on the Golan Heights all the way to Dan at the base of Mount Hermon in the northeast, to Mount Carmel and Mount Gilboa in the south. This definition includes

5820-406: The eighteenth century, published his "Shebet Moussar", which he divided into fifty-two chapters, one for each week. This book caused him to be known as the "Terror Maggid"; he preached moral and religious conduct as a safeguard against the terrible punishments of the day of judgment. Dante could not picture the horrors of hell and the punishments awaiting the wicked more minutely than did the author of

5917-437: The end of the Palestinian Amoraic period, the impact of historical occurrences like the Christianization of the Roman Empire and of Palestine, the apparent cessation of activities of at least some of the batei midrash and the transformation of the Galilee from a densely populated Jewish area to a collection of communities surrounded by non-Jewish areas to this demographic crisis. He assumed that Christian population in Galilee

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6014-426: The head of a regular school of rabbinical maggidim. R. Ze'era was opposed to their methods of twisting and distorting the Biblical verses to suit their momentary fancy. In Ze'era's estimation their works were of no more value than books on magic (Yer. Ma'as. iii. 9). In the Gaonic period and in the Middle Ages the principal of the yeshivah , or the rabbi, delivered a lecture before each festival, giving instructions in

6111-449: The isolated, ascetic scholars, whose practices he also opposed. His personal model of the Hasidic Master Rebbe was passed to the subsequent Hasidic Masters in the new Hasidic interpretation of the Tzaddik (saintly leader), who channels Divine blessing to the world. The microcosmic Messianic redemption offered by a Hasidic Rebbe, gave a new form of teacher and leader to the Jewish community, combining public mystic and redeemer, along with

6208-405: The king dwelt therein; they are bounded on the south with Samaria and Scythopolis , as far as the river Jordan ; on the east with Hippeae and Gadaris , and also with Ganlonitis, and the borders of the kingdom of Agrippa; its northern parts are bounded by Tyre, and the country of the Tyrians. As for that Galilee which is called the Lower, it extends in length from Tiberias to Zabulon , and of

6305-418: The laws governing the days of the festival. The maggid's function was to preach to the common people in the vernacular whenever occasion required, usually on Sabbath afternoon, basing his sermon on the sidra of the week. The wandering, or traveling, maggid then began to appear, and subsequently became a power in Jewry. His mission was to preach morality, to awaken the dormant spirit of Judaism, and to keep alive

6402-438: The legal views of Talmudic scholars. For instance, Pharaoh, in refusing to release Israel from bondage, acted according to the contention of Abaye, while Moses insisted on Israel's release in accordance with the decision of Rabba. This farfetched pilpulism had many followers, some of whom asserted that Ahasuerus concurred in the decision of Maimonides, and that Vashti coincided with the opinion of RaBaD . Jacob Kranz of Dubno ,

6499-500: The major cities and villages in Galilee were entirely Jewish. During the Byzantine period, however, Galilee's Jewish population experienced a decline, while Christian settlement grew. Archaeological data indicates that in the third and fourth centuries, several Jewish sites were abandoned, and some Christian villages were established on or near these deserted locations. Certain settlements, such as Rama , Magdala , Kafr Kanna , Daburiyya , and Iksal , which were materially Jewish during

6596-482: The maritime places Ptolemais is its neighbor; its breadth is from the village called Xaloth , which lies in the great plain, as far as Bersabe , from which beginning also is taken the breadth of the Upper Galilee, as far as the village Baca , which divides the land of the Tyrians from it; its length is also from Meloth to Thella , a village near to Jordan. Most of Galilee consists of rocky terrain, at heights of between 500 and 700 m. Several high mountains are in

6693-494: The method of Abravanel. Alshech also became an authority for the maggidim, who quoted him frequently. The persecutions of the Jews brought forth a number of maggidim who endeavored to excite the Messianic hope as a balm to the troubled and oppressed Jewry. The new articulation and cosmic doctrines of redemption in Kabbalah, taught by Isaac Luria in the 16th century, inspired a new mystical awareness and focus on Messianism. Messianic messengers and potential candidates sought to advance

6790-520: The middle of the fourth century, the Jerusalem Talmud's compilation and editing processes abruptly came to a halt, as Talmudic scholar Yaacov Sussmann put it: "The development of the Jerusalem Talmud seems to have abruptly ceased, as if severed by a sharp and sudden blade". Demographically, during the fourth century the entire region witnessed a significant population decrease, resulting in the abandonment of several notable settlements. In approximately 320 CE, Christian bishop Epiphanius reported that all

6887-595: The most important Crusader seigneuries. According to Moshe Gil, during the periods of Fatimid and Crusader rule, the rural Jewish population of Galilee experienced a gradual decline and flight. He supports his argument by referring to 11th-century Cairo Geniza documents related to transactions in Ramla and other areas in central Palestine, where Jews claimed to have ancestral ties to places like Gush Halav , Dalton , or 'Amuqa , suggesting that Jewish flight from Galilee occurred during that time. Sunni Muslims began to immigrate to Safed and its surroundings starting in

6984-587: The multitude. Thus the Pesiqta, the first collection of set speeches, usually begins with "yelammedenu rabbenu" ('let our master teach us'). An excellent example is the Passover Haggadah , which is introduced by four questions; the reciter of the answer is called the maggid . When there were no questions, the maggid chose a Biblical text, which was called the petichah (opening). The term maggid comes from Jewish mysticism (see Magid ) and originally referred to

7081-422: The northern Golan Heights and Mount Hermon, and not in the Galilee, and it is clear that this area remained outside Hasmonean borders. In the early Roman period, Galilee was predominantly Jewish. Archaeological evidence from multiple sites reveals Jewish customs, including the use of limestone vessels , ritual baths for purity , and secondary burial practices. A significant wave of Jewish settlement arrived in

7178-413: The people left the lecture-room of R. Chiyya , the darshan, and flocked to hear R. Abbahu , the maggid. To appease the sensitive Chiyya, Abbahu modestly declared, "We are like two merchants, one selling diamonds and the other selling trinkets, which are more in demand" ( Sotah 40a).Talmudic Sages like Rabbi Meir combined the functions of a darshan and a maggid ( Sanhedrin 38b). When Rabbi Isaac Nappaha

7275-819: The plains of the Jezreel Valley north of Jenin and the Beth Shean Valley, the valley containing the Sea of Galilee , and the Hula Valley . It usually does not include Haifa 's immediate northern suburbs. By this definition it overlaps with much of the administrative Northern District of Israel and with Southern Lebanon . The region's Hebrew name is [גָּלִיל] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |translit= ( help ) , meaning 'district' or 'circle'. The Hebrew form used in Book of Isaiah 9:1 (or 8:23 in different Biblical versions)

7372-472: The popularisation of mystical fervour in Hasidism . Typically, Hasidism avoids rebuke of punishments, replacing it with shame and remorse from nullification of self-awareness, before the omnipresent Divine presence that awakens joy. Judah Rosanes of Constantinople (d. 1727), in his "Parashat Derakim," combined the darshan with the maggid. He adopted a new method of harmonizing the acts of Biblical personages with

7469-569: The purpose of explaining the original ingeniously in the manner initiated by R. Höschel. Behr Perlhefter is considered the first Maggid of the Sabbatian Abraham Rovigo in Modena. Perlhefter restored the Sabbatian theology after the death of the pseudo-Messiah, and advocate of mystical heresy, Sabbatai Zevi (1626-1676). Elijah ben Solomon Abraham ha-Kohen of Smyrna , in the beginning of

7566-562: The region a popular tourist destination . Due to its high rainfall 900–1,200 millimetres (35–47 in), mild temperatures and high mountains (Mount Meron's elevation is 1,000–1,208 m), the upper Galilee region contains some distinctive flora and fauna: prickly juniper ( Juniperus oxycedrus ), Lebanese cedar ( Cedrus libani ), which grows in a small grove on Mount Meron, cyclamens , paeonias , and Rhododendron ponticum which sometimes appears on Meron. Western Galilee ( Hebrew : גליל מערבי , romanized :  Galil Ma'aravi )

7663-467: The region following the Roman conquest of 63 BCE. Large towns such as Kefar Hananya , Parod , Ravid , Mashkaneh, Sabban, and Tiberias were established by the end of the first century BCE or the start of the first century CE. By the end of the first century CE, the Galilee was dotted with small towns and villages. While Josephus writes there were 204 small towns, modern scholars consider this an exaggeration. Galilee's economy under Roman rule thrived on

7760-434: The region in 1775. In 1831, the Galilee, a part of Ottoman Syria , switched hands from Ottomans to Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt until 1840. During this period, aggressive social and politic policies were introduced, which led to a violent 1834 Arab revolt . In the process of this revolt the Jewish community of Safed was greatly reduced, in the event of Safed Plunder by the rebels. The Arab rebels were subsequently defeated by

7857-712: The region's storage jars. Kefar Hananya in Upper Galilee manufactured various tableware forms, supplying markets across Galilee, the Golan Heights, the Decapolis, coastal areas, and the Beth Shean Valley. Josephus describes the Jewish population of Galilee as being nationalist and hostile to Jewish city-dwellers, making them the first target for the Romans during the Jewish-Roman wars . Bargil Pixner believes they descended from

7954-534: The region, including Mount Tabor and Mount Meron , which have relatively low temperatures and high rainfall. As a result of this climate, flora and fauna thrive in the region. At the same time, many birds annually migrate from colder climates to Africa and back through the Hula –Jordan corridor. The streams and waterfalls, the latter mainly in Upper Galilee, along with vast fields of greenery and colourful wildflowers, as well as numerous towns of biblical importance, make

8051-730: The reign of Hiram or by those who had been forcibly deported there by later conquerors such as the Neo-Assyrian Empire . Hiram, to reciprocate previous gifts given to David , accepted the upland plain among the Naftali Mountains and renamed it "the land of Cabul " for a time. In the Iron Age II, Galilee was part of the Kingdom of Israel , which fell to the Assyrians . Archaeological survey conducted by Zvi Gal in Lower Galilee indicates that

8148-462: The scholarly yeshiva curriculum. The Musar movement seeks to inspire spiritual advancement by discovering personal integrity and revealing the unworthiness of material temptations. Its spirituality does not always describe rewards and punishments, but admonishment can be a factor. It can draw ethical lessons from Jewish mysticism , but is often compared and contrasted with the mystical paths to inspiration of Kabbalistic dveikus (cleaving to God), and

8245-449: The traditional notions of darshan and maggid . Some Hasidic leaders are known with the name of "maggid", sometimes gained from before their adherence to Hasidism. The continual regard of this title to them, indicates a new interpretation of the traditional notion of a maggid, incorporated into the Hasidic role of Rebbe. The mystical revival of Hasidism elevated hagiographic storytelling about

8342-692: The urging of Herodias , Antipas went to Rome to request that he be elevated from the status of tetrarch to the status of king. The Romans found him guilty of storing arms, so he was removed from power and exiled, ending his forty-three-year reign. During the Great Revolt (66–73 CE), a Jewish mob destroyed Herod Antipas's palace. Overall, Galilee under Antipas's rule was marked by significant demographic instability. Diseases like malaria were rampant, internal migration between urban and rural areas were frequent and women generally gave birth at young ages while married to older men. Birth control, including infanticide ,

8439-474: Was Moses Isaac ben Noah Darshan, the "Kelmer Maggid" (b. 1828; d. 1900, in Lida ). He was among the "terror" maggidim of the "Shebet' Musar" school and preached to crowded synagogues for over fifty years in almost every city of Russian Poland. Another prominent maggid was Chayyim Tzedeq, known as the "Rumsheshker" (Gersoni, "Sketches of Jewish Life and History," pp. 62–74, New York , 1873). The "philosophical" maggid

8536-631: Was a Silesian rabbi and author. Löwy was born in Hotzenplotz , Austrian Silesia . At a young age he went to Lepinik to study under Baruch Fränkel-Teomim , afterwards attending various yeshivot in his native country. He then became a pupil of Wolf Löw in Nagytapolcsány , and, inclining to Ḥasidism , he went successively to Lemberg and Brody in order to continue his rabbinical education. Finally he went to Berlin , where he acquired some secular learning. Having obtained after great difficulties

8633-504: Was already married to one of her other uncles. His wife, whom he divorced, fled to her father Aretas , an Arab king, who invaded Galilee and defeated Antipas's troops before withdrawing. Both Josephus and the Gospel of Mark record that the itinerant preacher John the Baptist criticized Antipas over his marriage, and Antipas consequently had him imprisoned and then beheaded . In around 39 CE, at

8730-443: Was decorated with animal carvings, which many Jews regarded as a transgression against the law prohibiting idols, his coins bore only agricultural designs, which his subjects deemed acceptable. In general, Antipas was a capable ruler. Josephus does not record any instance of his use of force to put down an uprising and he had a long, prosperous reign. However, many Jews probably resented him as not sufficiently devout. Antipas rebuilt

8827-610: Was devastated, the conquered cities were razed, and many inhabitants were sold into slavery. Judaism reached its political and cultural zenith in the Galilee during the late second and early third century CE. According to rabbinic sources, Judah ha-Nasi 's political leadership was at its strongest in relation to the Jewish community in Syria Palaestina , the Diaspora, and the Roman Authorities during this time. Judah's redaction of

8924-462: Was likely that Assyrians settled in the region. Up until the end of the Hellenistic period and before the Hasmonean conquest, the Galilee was sparsely populated, with the majority of its inhabitants concentrated in large fortified centers on the edges of the western and central valleys. Based on archeological evidence from Tel Anafa , Kedesh , and ash-Shuhara , the Upper Galilee was then home to

9021-483: Was not composed of Jews who converted to Christianity. This is supported by the fact that trustworthy historical records, which mention Jewish conversion to Christianity in Byzantine Palestine, refer to individual cases rather than entire villages, unlike the records from the western part of the empire. Eastern Galilee retained a Jewish majority until at least the seventh century. Over time, this area experienced

9118-458: Was not practiced. Many young men, especially marginal villagers, migrated to urban areas to find wives or alternatively, employment. Finding wives was presumed to be competitive since widows often refused to marry past the age of 30 compared to widowers. According to Jonathan L. Reed, this can provide insight on the tropes of New Testament literature, such as miraculous healings and the itinerant lifestyle of Jesus and his disciples. In 66 CE, during

9215-629: Was renamed to Acre Sanjak , and the Eyalet itself became centered in Acre, factually becoming the Acre Eyalet between 1775 and 1841. The Jewish population of Galilee increased significantly following their expulsion from Spain and welcome from the Ottoman Empire . The community for a time made Safed an international center of cloth weaving and manufacturing, as well as a key site for Jewish learning. Today it remains one of Judaism's four holy cities and

9312-515: Was requested by one in his audience to preach a popular haggadah, and by another a halakic discourse, he answered, "I am like the man who had two wives, one young and one old, and each wishing her husband to resemble her in appearance; the younger pulled out his gray hair while the older pulled out his black hair, with the result that he became entirely bald." R. Isaac thereupon delivered a lecture that embraced both halakah and aggadah ( Bava Kamma 60b). Levi ben Sisi , his son Joshua, and others were at

9409-536: Was the first of the modern type of maggid, which soon developed into that of the "national," or "Zionistic," maggid. Yehuda Zvi Yabzrov from White Russia, as well as Tzvi Hirsch Masliansky and Joseph Zeff, both of New York, were representatives of the latter class. See Homiletics . See also Category:Maggidim The founder of the Hasidic movement, Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov ( Besht ) (1698-1760), awakened

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