Something to ponder in the New Year

In 1979, archaeologists were excavating in the area believed to be ancient Gehenna. Gehenna is an area not far from the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, used as far back as Solomon’s time as the dumping ground for the sewage and refuse of the city. Fires burned continually in this valley to destroy the garbage and impurities, which is why it was named Gehenna and came to be a symbol of punishment.

The archaeologists found what is considered one of the oldest bits of Scripture that exists in the world, more than 400 years older than the Dead Sea Scrolls. It dates from the time just before the destruction of the first temple, the Temple of Solomon, in 586 B.C. The scorched ground yielded two rolled-up silver amulets that are on display in the Israel Museum. When painstakingly unfurled, the text was almost verbatim to the Bible verses:

“May God bless you and keep you.

May God’s face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

May God turn His face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

This is the priestly blessing Jewish parents recite for their children each Friday night, a passionate prayer for the future. In the words of Rabbi David Wolpe, the oldest bit of Scripture that exists in the world is a blessing of peace snatched from hell.’ (Rabbi David Wolpe, The Jewish History of Israel…, The New York Times, May 28, 2021.)

As we begin a New Year, may this Scripture of old fill you with hope and the knowledge that God is always with us, in the best of times and in the worst of times; and “May God bless you and keep you. May God’s face shine upon you and be gracious to you. And May God turn His face toward you and give you peace.”