Egypt day 6: Cairo shabbat

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Shabbat - a real day of rest! I decided to skip shul and daven in the room. I really enjoyed "my time" while Don participated in the group service.

At 10.30am I joined the rest of the group and we made kiddush and had brunch which was a special milky meal.

Then Rabbi Berman gave a drasha and then it was sleep time! Some people went out for walks, but we just quietly read and rested.

We all got together again at 4 pm when we had seudah shlishit with lots of singing. Again the table was set nicely with real crockery and cutlery.

Then free time until after shabbat when Rabbi Berman gave an instructive PowerPoint presentation.

He explained in further detail some of the scenes and hieroglyphics we had seen and would explore in the days ahead. The Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus was Ramses II. The pictures showing his victory over the Battle of Kadesh mirror Shir HaYam when the Israelites crossed the sea. The scenes depict the chariots of the Pharaoh defeating the enemy - the Hittites - when Ramses recaptured the city of Kadesh in Syria from the Hittites.

Rabbi Berman continued with his explanation about how numbers are used in the bible to emphasise points about relative strength. Based on various sources he demonstrated this with the number of children born to Jacob and with the army sizes of 'good' and 'bad' kings.

He also related papyrus inscriptions found in a worker's village which said there was a wall around the camp and there were two chambers in the temple, one being 2x1 and the inner one 1x1. This shows similarity between the camp of Ramses and the mishkan. Ramses is surrounded by Horus who is represented by falcons, and this can be compared to the keruvim (cherubs).

Much of his thesis is covered in his book Ani Maamim, which we have subsequently read.

The evening ended relatively early so that we felt rested before embarking on the second phase of our tour.

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Photos

Ani Maamim by Rabbi Joshua Berman
Biblical Criticism, Historical Truth, and the Thirteen Principles of Faith