#beit alpha

[lt-cmdr-titties]

Hello there. I have decided that I will watch Star Trek in chronological order using your lovely spread sheet. it will be my first time watching it. yes i read the warning and yes i am ignoring it. is the spreadsheet nearing completion?

LMAO fair enough. that depends on how you define "nearing completion." in my free time i've been watching star trek and tweaking and correcting my spreadsheet as i stumble upon new stuff, but also like i'm studying abroad and just got back from a week-long beit midrash and am trying to publish a paper and am going to move soon and etc etc etc so i'm currently on strange new worlds. the spreadsheet has all the highlights done and updated, and it is already more detailed than the timeline on memory alpha, so i think if there is anything i missed then it would be very minor in your watch-through. but also you have a lot to get through before you catch up to me so there's a good chance things will update before you get to them lol

enjoy your watch through and please keep me updated on how it goes i'm very interested to see how watching things in chronological order affect your understanding of star trek :)

[gardeningideas8]

Experience the rich heritage of heirloom gardening with our Beit Alpha Cucumber seeds. Perfect for your spring and summer vegetable garden. #HeirloomGardening #SpringSummerGarden https://www.pinterest.com/pin/963840757735071724/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[jensownzoo]

Behold! The first cucumber that I have been able to produce in over 2 years!

The net bags + non-netted trap plant have been entirely successful at producing at least one 6” cucumber. The trap plant is unfortunately currently succumbing to bacterial wilt (like, a DAY after I said how impressed I was that it hadn’t yet), but I have been consistently squishing 1-3 dozen cucumber beetles off of it every morning (plus the occasional stinkbug and June beetle) so it was really only a matter of time. I think I’m still going to start a replacement plant (indoors) because there might be enough time for it to start producing before the first frost, or I can just use it to continue to reduce the pest population—either way a win.

The somewhat unsuccessful part is the lack of additional developing fruits despite hundreds of blossoms and a parthenocarpic variety (Monika, Beit Alpha, and Suyo Long). That and the trellis needed to be a foot or two higher (but this can be fixed with extensions). We’ll see what the end-of-season total ends up being, I suppose. This might end up being the most expensive cucumber ever...which I will be enjoying for lunch forthwith!

[private-tours-in-israel]

Beit Alpha Ancient Synagogues dated to Talmudic times (at Bet Alfa) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiZq6dsDQ7q/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[roguepuppet]

These are the last of the Beit Alpha cucumbers for the year. The plant was spent and had given us many tasty cucumbers. Will grow again. Tore out the plant so I can put in some fall lettuce and greens in the silver raised bed. (at Kokomo, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiH9MXYOGEO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wislander]

It was a prefect day to move the rest of my garden plants outside. Now all of the Romanesco Tomatoes, Solar Flare Tomatoes, Black Cherry Tomatoes, Violet Jasper Tomatoes, Black Zulu Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Nokturn Peppers, Jalapeños Peppers, Sheepnose Pimento Peppers, Neimat's Battir Eggplants, Ping Tung Eggplants, Boston Pickler Cucumbers, Beit Alpha Cucumbers, Monika Cucumbers, Uzbek Golden Carrots, Kkaennip, Kale, Lettuce, and Green Bush Beans are planted for the season. #homegrown #homegarden #backyard #vegetables #sprinkler #bakercreekheirloomseeds #romanescotomato #solarflaretomato #blackcherrytomatoes #violetjaspertomatoes #uzbekgoldencarrots #shishitopeppers #sheepnosepimentopepper #nokturnpeppers #blackzulupeppers #neimatsbattireggplant #pingtungeggplant #bietalphacucumbers #monikacucumber #kkaennip https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd4FsK2LNz7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[soul-ishah]

Mosaic floor in a synagogue from the 1500s located at Beit Alpha in northern Israel. Re-discovered in 1928.

[inthecityofgoodabode]

2021: First Weekend In October

It’s beginning to look a little like Halloween: 

Friday’s backyard garden harvest: 

We finished decorating on Saturday: 

I found a use for that concrete planter I found on the curb back in April: 

A mantis & her prey: 

The carpenter bee that is in flight was a male (you can’t see it from this angle but he has a white spot on his face). He was zooming in to make his move on that female (no white face mark). His technique was none too subtle in that it began with a head butt followed by slam dancing: 

[yumuseum]

Collection item of the week:  photograph of Kibbutz Beit Alpha, ca. 1930 

[forasecondtherewedwon]

I GREW MY FIRST CUCUMBER!

I’m trying a few new fruits and veggies from seed this year and the Beit Alpha Lebanese cucumbers are one of them! So satisfying to see the first cucumber appear on the vine and ripen to 5.5″ (instructions said to expect ~6″ for this variety, so this guy was right on the money).

I get so much joy just from taking care of these things that the fact that it was also the most delicious cucumber I’ve ever eaten was almost beside the point lol

[numbersbythebook]

22 Letters Hebrew Alphabet, 22 Chapters Revelation, First 5 Chapters

written by Will Schumacher

There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet.  Since God spoke creation into being using words made up of the 22 letters, it is said that the Hebrew alphabet is the building block of creation.  Each letter has its own meaning not like our English language.  Hebrew words are formed from the meaning of the letters.

My belief is that the meaning of numbers are tied to the numbers pertaining to each Hebrew letter such as by gematria or positioning.

Most people are familiar with Psalm 119 written in order of an acrostic.

The book of Lamentations follows somewhat of an acrostic also.  The first chapter has 22 verses corresponding to the 22 letters in order.  Chapters 2-4 follow the acrostic but put the pey  before the ayin.  Chapter 3 has 66 verses and is in sets of 3.  The last chapter has 22 verses but is all jumbled up.

So in the Bible there is the thought process of writing in the order of the Hebrew alphabet.

The book of Revelation has 22 chapters corresponding to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

A cursory look at the book shows a door in chapter four.  The fourth letter is the dalet and is a picture of a door.  The sixteenth chapter mentions a fountain.  The sixteenth letter is the ayin meaning “eye” or “fountain”.  Jesus calls Himself the “alpha and omega”.  In hebrew He would be calling Himself the “aleph and the tav”.  The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet is the aleph.  The 22nd letter is the tav.  Jesus calls Himself the “aleph and tav” in both the 1st and 22nd chapters.

These 4 incidents made me wonder if the book of Revelation was written following the thought process of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet and then divinely broken up into 22 chapters corresponding to the 22 letters.  And if so do they add and understanding to the chapter.

1) ALEPH The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet is called aleph.  The Aleph is a picture of the Ox or Bull meaning “strength” or “leader”.

God the Father is the aleph or the strength and leader of the house.  In the first chapter of revelation Jesus presents Himself as God Himself, the leader of the house, the Aleph, and therefore worthy to inspect and ultimately judge the house.

In Chapter 1 John gives greetings from the Father, the Spirit, and Jesus.

Revelation 1:4  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ

The Father is called the one “which is, and which was, and which is to come”

Later Jesus calls Himself the same.

Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Jesus also calls Himself the Alpha and Omega which in Hebrew would be “the Aleph and Tav” or “the first and the last.”

God the Father called Himself “the first and the last”.

Isa 48:12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.

Rev 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last

Jesus is seen walking among the 7 candlesticks which is the church.  He is inspecting it.

Rev 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle

He is describes as the Father is in Daniel.

Rev 1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

Daniel 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

His eyes “as a flame of fire” means He is inspecting the church with “Holy Spirit” eyes, not as man sees with his superficiality but as God sees the true heart.

Jesus has feet of brass, meaning judgement, as they burned in a furnace.

Rev 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters

In Daniel “one like a son of man” walked through the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

Dan 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

One of the main themes of the bible is that we go through this tribulation with Christ so that the bride is purified.  God is separating the wheat from the chaff, the dross from the silver.

Proverbs 25:4 Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

Matthew 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Jesus as the leader of the house holds the 7 messengers of the 7 churches in His right hand.  The right hand denotes the power of the works of God in action.  The 7 messengers are being used by Christ through His power to complete His desire.  In this case the 7 messengers are rebuking and encouraging the 7 churches as we see in chapters 2 and 3.

Rev 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

Rev 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

The first chapter of revelation is about Jesus establishing Himself as the Aleph.  He is God Himself and is therefore worthy to judge His house.

This is much like the first chapter of the bible. The word for God used exclusively in the first chapter of the bible is Elohim and it carries with it the idea of God as the ruler and judge of the earth.  Elohim establishes Himself as the creator and life giver of everything so yes He would be worthy to be called the ruler and judge of all.

2) BET The second letter of the Hebrew alphabet is called beit.  The beit is the picture of a House, or dwelling.

The Father sent His Son Jesus to build a house, the church.

Jesus has established Himself as the Aleph and therefore leader of the house.  He is therefore worthy to inspect and judge the house.  In chapters 2 and 3 Jesus inspects and judges the house represented by the seven churches.

3) GIMMEL The third letter of the Hebrew alphabet is called gimmel.  The gimmel is a picture of a Camel.  The camel was used in the bible to carry a person through the wilderness just as the Holy Spirit carries us through the wilderness.  John the Baptist, as a type of the Holy Spirt working through man, was dressed in camel’s hair, symbolically he was full of the Spirit.

The word gimmel means reward and recompense and comes from a root meaning to deal out, to give, or to wean.  The reward or recompense can thus be a blessing or a judgment.  This again is a picture of the Holy Spirit convicting and encouraging, blessing and judging.

Chapters 2 and 3 of revelation combine the beit and gimmel.  The 7 churches are the house the Son is building. Jesus established Himself as the aleph or strong leader of the house in chapter 1.  As the leader, He sends His Spirit to His house to call them, teach them, judge them and encourage them.

Each letter to the seven churches is organized the same way.  Jesus describes a symbolic attribute of Himself as the Leader of the House worthy to judge.  He then gives a statement about the condition of the House.  He tells of the reward/recompense for following or not following Him.  He lastly tells each church to listen to the Spirit.

The central theme is His House is to be Holy, to be like Him.  Do not be seduced by the world, the false prophets, the Jezebels.  If you choose not to follow judgment is coming.

Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation seem to also follow chapters 2 and 3 of the bible.  In chapter 2 of the bible God starts building His house-Adam.  His house is given boundaries, you can not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

In chapter 3 of the bible His house rebels and is judged, but is also given the first messianic promise of redemption.  This is all very similar to the message to the seven churches.

4) DALET The fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is called dalet.  The dalet is a picture of a door.  A door acts as a divider between what is inside and what is outside. You use a door to go in and out or back and forth.  The number four throughout scripture is used in conjunction with division.  The essence of holiness is division, setting something special apart from the common.  God is Holy or set apart and has made His church holy or set apart by Jesus’ blood, and He wants us to learn to act holy or set apart by obeying His holy laws which reflect His Holiness.

In the fourth chapter John is shown a door opened to the holy temple in heaven.  He sees the holy throne of God with 24 elders sitting on 24 seats around the throne.  There are seven lamps burning before the throne.  There are 4 living beings also in the midst of the throne and around the throne. The one on the throne is like a Jasper and sardine stone.  This is the first and last stone of the breastplate of the High priest.  The first and the last represent all.  The stones of the breastplates stood for the 12 tribes-all Israel-the House of God-the church throughout history.

The rainbow is a reminder of God’s covenant with Noah.  It is like an emerald, the 4th stone of the breastplate.  Judah is the 4th son.  Jesus, our redeemer and covenant maker, is from the tribe of Judah.

Rebekah the virgin bride is the type of the 24 elders seated before the throne of God.  This is the holy, set apart, divided out bride seated in the heavenlies as Ephesians calls us.  This is our future and what we are now.

Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

The four living beings, which are the Holy Spirit and His power in action, are full of eyes representing the omniscience and omnipresence of God.  The wings represent their power and therefore the power of God.  There are 4 beings representing the concept of division and holiness.  The goal of the Holy Spirit is to call and refine the house or bride of Christ.  There are 6 wings to each being.  The 6th letter is the vav.  It means to join.  The number six also denotes physical completion.  The Holy Spirit is completing and joining the bride to Christ.  There are a total of 24 wings just like there are 24 elders.  

The Holy Spirit dwells within us, the 24 elders, to give us His power.  When you read revelation you find that the 24 elders do what the 4 living beings do.  We follow the Spirit as He leads.

The fourth chapter is seen as a picture of the Holiness of the Father, the heavenly temple, the agent of holiness in His people, the Holy Spirit and the holy bride seated in the heavenlies.

It is interesting that the fourth chapter of the bible is also about division and a setting apart.  Abel’s sacrifice was accepted and Cain’s was not.  Cain was sent away from the presence of the Lord and marked.

5) HEY- The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is called hey.  It means to reveal or behold.

What does the fifth chapter of revelation reveal?

First, a book written on the front and back and sealed with seven seals.

Revelation 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

It is written on the front and back means that it is full or complete.

It is sealed because the seal shows who the owner is.  It is the Father’s seal.  He is the owner.

The next revealing of chapter 5 is the Lamb - Jesus Christ. Only because of His redemption can the book be opened.  Without His redemption there is no book to open.

Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Rev 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

The lamb has 7 horns.  A horn represents power.  He has spiritually perfect power,

The lamb has Holy Spirit eyes, not the eyes of man.  He sees the heart perfectly.

This book is the book of life.  In it contains the church through all history, the virgin bride.  The 24 elders symbolize this virgin bride.  They fall down and worship Jesus, the Lamb, for He was slain and redeemed the virgin bride on the cross. Through His death we become kings and priests reigning with Him.  That is why the 24 elders are on seats around the throne with golden crowns.

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.              

Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

So the fifth chapter reveals the book of life, the bride, redeemed by the Lamb.  There is no bride without the Lamb, period. Inherent in this thought is that God reveals Himself through all creation, but only those who are His take that revelation to heart and are written in the book.

The fifth book of the Bible is the” revelation” of the “redeemed” line of Adam through Seth to Noah.  

Many commentators have talked about the hidden message within the names linking to the redemption of Jesus.

Adam=man Seth=appointed Enosh=mortal man Cainan=dwelling place Mahalalel=praise of God Jared=descend Enoch=train up or disciple Methuselah=missionary man Lamech=despair, jumbled kingdom Naoh=rest

Man is appointed mortality in his dwelling place.  To the praise of God He desended to disciple man and send him on a mission(indwelled by God) to the despairing lost kingdom to bring them rest.

The hidden message is the explanation of the gospel and is a picture of the book of life-the bride redeemed by the Lamb.

[jew-flexive]

Hi! Your post about Crowley being one of the most Jewish characters you've ever seen helped me so much to understand my "issues" with some points made in Good Omens and made me realise that those weren't really issues at all - they were just differences between Christian philosophy and Jewish philosophy which I hadn't known about (I'm Christian). Thank you so much for making me aware of it, changing my perspective and making me more open-minded to other points of view. I'm very grateful. (1/2)

That being said, I’d be very interested if you could shed a similar light on the crucifixion scene, especially the fact that it stated it was Crowley who tempted Jesus in the desert. I found this choice peculiar, but then again, I’ve read that in judaism there isn’t such an Ultimate Evil Person that satan is for christians. I’d really love to learn something more about it to gain some perspective, I hope you don’t mind. (2/2)

I do not mind! I love me some interfaith discourse– I’m actually from an intermarried family, so I have some pastors and priests in my family and let me tell you this shit? It’s my favorite thing. I’m so glad that you felt comfortable enough to reach out to me. This is one of the longest posts I’ve ever written, so bear with me.

(A note on my expertise: I am attending the Jewish Theological Seminary, the premier Jewish educational institution in the Western Hemisphere. Of the many courses I have taken since I started here, many have been in conjunction with Union Theological Seminary– a Christian seminary– and Columbia University. I am not going to call myself an expert by any means, but I am studying ancient Judaism and the development of Christianity for my degree and can be trusted enough to have a certain level of authority. Of course, if you see anything that needs correcting, please let me know! I’d love to learn from you.)

One of my biggest pet peeves in the whole world is the word “Judeo-Christian” because the Jewish tradition and the Christian tradition are fundamentally incompatible on a theological, methodological, philosophical, and messianic level. Christianity was founded with a supersessionist approach to the Brit, the Covenant, that Jews share with God– indeed, this mindset is the main reason that Paul’s Christianity had to break from the Jewish-Christianity that flourished in Jerusalem under James after Jesus’ death. Jewish thought is wildly different from Christian thought– we don’t value asceticism, we don’t believe that God can be corporal or Triune, we are a legalist tradition that explicitly says that blind faith is not enough, and, as you say, we have no “Big Bad.” Instead, Jews believe that every person has a Good/Selfless Inclination and an Evil/Selfish Inclination.* Christians believe in individual salvation from sin through receiving Jesus Christ as their God and savior**, while Jews believe in individual and collective participation in an eternal dialogue with God through tradition, rituals, prayers, and ethical actions. We also don’t have any unified afterlife narrative, but what we do believe is that Hell shouldn’t be a permanent punishment and that gentiles as well as Jews can reach whatever form of Heaven exists without having to believe in God. 

So, looking at those differences between our two faith traditions, I completely see how parts of Good Omens, especially the character of Crowley, might be alien to a Christian reader. He fits into a legalist tradition and actively rejects the Christian ideas of salvation and faith. 

So the crucifixion scene. I also found it interesting that it was Crowley that tempted Jesus***– honestly, I thought it was a narrative choice to emphasize the importance of Crowley within the story arc and the Ineffable Plan. But if I imagine there is a greater reason… I would argue that it was Crowley that tried to tempt Jesus away from his path because Crowley knows that Jesus is going to die and it won’t bring about the Messianic Age that Jesus had promised. In GO, we don’t have any sympathy for Satan– he’s wicked and rebelled knowingly, but Crowley we do sympathize with, since he just asked questions. 

If we read Crowley as somebody who sees all the casualties of the Ineffable Plan (i.e. the kids that couldn’t board Noah’s arc) as fundamentally unnecessary, then we can see his attempt to tempt Jesus as his way of trying to save a kind man from what Crowley sees as an abuse of power by God, who isn’t telling Jesus the full story. Jesus doesn’t bring the fabled Messianic Age, at least according to what that meant in ancient Israel. Now, many Christians understand the crucifixion of Jesus through an inaugurated eschatology– Jesus’ first death was the first stage of bringing about the Messianic Age which will be finally realized during the Second Coming, but back in the ancient times? It would have looked like Jesus had died for nothing, especially considering that Christianity initially did not see him as the literal son of God. 

Early Christian literature, most notably the Synoptic Gospels, started out understanding Jesus as a “Chosen One” whose Divine blessing was gifted to him when he reached adulthood not unlike the other great men of the Torah. It’s only with the Gospel of John and other contemporaneous works that we read of Jesus as Divine (“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” etc.) So, in the GO universe, perhaps Crowley tried to move Jesus away from the Ineffable Plan because he knew enough to think that his crucifixion would be meaningless, because Jesus was only understood then as a man.

Look, I could go on and on about Jewish and Christian theology and the way they play off of each other. If you want to hear more from me on the subject, drop me a line. Thank you again for reaching out and for being so open minded! I will say that if you really want to know what Jews think about anything, you’ll need to reach out to several Jews if you want a truly complete picture. Because we are a legalist tradition, many of us hold by different standards and principles as dictated by different schools of thought. For instance, Jesus held more with Beit (House) Shammai in the Sermon on the Mount when he discussed divorce but many of his most famous one-liners are directly attributed to Rabbi Hillel, the teacher of the other major proto-rabbinic power during the Second Temple period. So if you’re super interested in learning more, keep doing what you’re doing! I know that there are so many Jewish blogs on Tumblr that would be happy to answer any of your questions. Thank you again for reaching out! I hope this was helpful.

* Jews believe that the Good/Selfless Inclination and an Evil/Selfish Inclination are both equally necessary for living a good life. If you are too selfish, you are obviously not a good person, but if you are too selfless, then you aren’t able to provide for your family, improve your educational prowess, or take care of yourself. Both paths are unacceptable. 

** Many sects of Christianity also require good works to achieve salvation, most notably the Catholic Church, but the foundation of Christianity is centered around personal salvation via worshipping God and Jesus. 

*** Jews usually understand Jesus as one of the many freelance teachers that were roaming around ancient Israel at this time. Academics see him through a variety of lenses, but one that I find super interesting is the idea of Jesus as a political revolutionary sowing the seeds for the Bar Kokhba revolt. That’s a whole other conversation, but it’s one I’d love to share with anyone reading if they’re interested. 

[howlmountain]

In the bags there are Sun Gold, Honey Drop, Cherokee Purple, and Yellow Pear tomatoes. I forgot to grow a paste tomato but I haven’t had the conditions to get them to fruit reliably anyways, so that’ll have to wait for next year’s seed order. The planted peppers are Beaver Dam (mildly spicy) and Caballero Poblano/Ancho (also mild). The bell peppers only sprouted two highly deformed seeds, but I’ll try another round since they tend to grow quickly once it warms up. The cucumbers that are getting planted later are Super Zagross (a thin skinned Beit Alpha type) and Lemon.

[private-tours-in-israel]

Beit Alpha Synagogue (at Beth Alpha) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiZqveeDnrz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[roguepuppet]

A quick evening pick.... beefsteak and cucumbers. This Beit Alpha cucumber is crazy prolific... (at Kokomo, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf2h8DQuigD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=