Carmeli Brigade troops ascended Mount Betarim, reviving an ancient Jewish tradition ahead of Shabbat Lech Lecha: reading God’s promise to Abraham of a Hebrew state stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates, blowing the shofar, and praying for victory in Israel.
Israel National News
A special and moving ceremony was held Friday morning on Mount Betarim on Mount Dov at the border with Lebanon, as commanders and soldiers from the IDF’s 21st Battalion of the Carmeli Brigade ascended the site traditionally identified as the location of the promise that God made to Abraham, as described in this week’s Torah portion, ‘Lech Lecha’.
The ascent marked the revival of an ancient Jewish tradition. According to tradition, Jews from the Galilee would ascend the mountain every year on the eve of Shabbat Lech Lecha to pray and read the verses describing the land promised to Abraham and his descendants by G-d.
During the ceremony, one of the battalion’s company commanders read the biblical verses describing God’s promise to Abraham: ‘On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your descendants I have given all of this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.’’
The battalion’s rabbi, Rabbi Elyashiv Hacohen, took part in the ceremony wearing a white kittel and blowing the shofar for victory in the war.
The ascent took on special significance in light of the current missions being carried out by the IDF. The ceremony connected the ancient tradition and the promise made to Abraham with the soldiers fighting for the State of Israel today.