Significant natural gas discovery made off Israel's shore https://t.co/tD15ecsWXA— Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) April 15, 2019
RIVKA SARI: Some Scholars say that the Mt of Olives were under the control of the Tribe of Asher who made the olive oil for the Temple Menorah so would not have to travel so far to the Galilee Gush Halav which was Asher’s portion.
The children of Asher were healthy, emotionally and spiritually, fit to be high priests—each one of them. Although the priests came from the tribe of Levi, since Asher’s daughters married priests, his grandchildren were eligible for and eventually served in the position of high priest. So although Asher’s tribe was not numerous, the children were of such exceptional quality that one child gave their parents as much nachas (satisfaction) as many children combined. This might explain why Asher had a Geth Shemenim (Oil Press) and planted the olive tree grove near the site of Holy Temple so that oil could be readily made for the service of the Temple Menorah. Because tribe of Asher planted the Olive trees on Mt of Olive thus is where it gets it’s name today.
Amos son of Asher 9:9;12: Behold, I command and I shall scatter the House of Israel among all the Gentle Nations, in order that the Israeli Exiles inherit the Earthy Remnant of the Empires [The tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel shall be scattered and swept up within the allotted territories of Zilpah's Children. Zilpah shall Occupy the Houses of Israel. The Asherites shall plant Vineyards and drink their Wine. The Gadites shall make Gardens and eat their Produce]; the tribe of Levi was dispersed within Israel and Judah. The tribe of Benjamin seized the tribe of Ephraim and shouldered the tribe of Joseph, as well as the tribe of Judah. The tribe of Simeon was scattered and absorbed within the allotted territory of the tribal Southern Kingdom of Judah.
MARION VAZ BRAZIL: During the reign of King Uziá from Judea and King II Yeroboam the other part of Israel (about 2600 years), the Prophet Amos lived. He was descended from the tribe of Asher, and from the city of Tekoa. In his youth he was educated along with the other prophets, he worked as a shepherd tending his flocks in the valley of Asher. But later he was called by God to spread his prophecies, and all, obviously, became a reality.
MICHAEL FREUND: The prophet Amos was from the town of Tekoa, which is located southeast of Jerusalem in Judea, in the territory of the tribe of Asher.
NEIL N. WINKLER: Amos is described as a simple herder who was chosen by God to serve Him and the people. As such, he understood well the suffering of the common man and the poor who were oppressed by the heavy hand of the wealthy and the nobility. This might be why he was chosen to deliver God’s message to the sinful northern kingdom of Israel even though he himself may have been from the southern kingdom of Yehuda (although Tekoa is mentioned in Divrei HaYamim as a Judean city situated near Beit Lechem, the Radak claims it was to be found in the north, a part of the tribe of Asher).
LEAH KOHN: The following essay continues our exploration of the quality of wisdom embodied by the women in the Book of Samuel. This installment covers a figure referred to as, “the woman from Tekoa.” Tekoa, a city south of Bethlehem, was renowned for its olive oil. In Torah, olive oil represents wisdom. Thus, Tekoa was also famous for smart people.
TAMAR KADARI: The Biblical Tekoa was situated to the south of Jerusalem, on the border of the Judean Desert close to Bethlehem, and apparently did not exist in the Rabbinic period. In this teaching the Rabbis depict another city by the same name that existed during their time, in the portion of Asher in Galilee. For this reason they relate to the Biblical city as if it were located in the portion of the Asherites. That said, olive trees were also to be found in the Biblical Tekoa.
Yoel Ya'akobi/ Translated by Shoshan Levy: The Talmud relates that Yoav ben Tzruya went to bring a wise woman from Tekoa to convince King David to allow Avshalom to return home. In this context, it quotes R. Yohanan, the famous Galilean Amora: “Since they are used to [eating] olive oil, they are wise.” Right after this statement, the Talmud discusses the blessing Moshe gave to Asher: “He dips his foot in oil,” which was fulfilled in full in his portion, citing the large quantity of oil produced in Gush Halav (which is in Asher’s portion). Since these two accounts are mentioned in close proximity to each other, we learn that Tekoa discussed in the Talmud is the one in Asher’s portion, not in Yehuda’s.
