Sightseeing in the Parsha - Mitzpeh

For many years the world has been occupied with discovering the best form of of government. In this week's Parsha there is a dialogue about Crowning a king amongst the Jews, as an ideal or as a default. Hundreds of years later, when Bnei Yisroel are living in the various territories of Israel we see the need arises from the wise of the nation, to have a king who will rule continually after a period of many changing leaders (the Shoftim). The first to be appointed to this position is Saul Hamelech. After a thorough inquiry into the need and Gods commandment to appoint Saul king, Saul pubicly crowns himself in a main city of Binyamins territory called “Mitzpeh”. There are different opinions as to where the exact place of biblical “Mitzpeh” is, one opinion places it on a beautiful hill north of Yerushalayim called “Nebi Samuel”. There are archeological remnants from a few time periods, a tomb said to be Shmuel Hanavis and of course a breathtaking view of the western area of Jerusalem all the way to the coast.

It is worth visiting!