A Winter's Tale (Hebrew)

This tour is independant of the museum. Museum admission is still included in our ticket with a discount. Please wait for me to arrive at the front desk in the lobby. This tour is registered under my name. Thank you!

A Winter’s Tale is about the holidays in the winter: 10th of Tevet, Tu Bishvat, Chanukah & Purim.

Tu Bishvat (the 15th of Shevat) was actually celebrated in ancient Mesopotamia. The others connect to historic events from the Second Temple period.  Purim took place in the Persian Empire, in the city of Susa. 10 Tevet happened in Alexandria under the Ptolemaic Egyptian Greeks, while Chanukah took place in Israel under the Seleucid Syrian Greek Empire. The title of the tour is inspired by Mark Helprin’s book title, A Winter’s Tale (1983). This tour examines key ideas from the history and archaeology of these periods, with an emphasis on their philosophical relevance to Jewish identity. 

What is the role of these holidays at the end of the Jewish year? And how is this placement a preparation for our rebirth as a nation in the Exodus, encountered in the upcoming holiday of Passover? 

THIS TOUR IS IN HEBREW 

This tour is approximately 2 hours long, in the Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem.