The Jewish Quarter had originally been purchased by Spanish exiles and in its small domed synagogue nine men stood ready to begin Kol Nidrei the start of the Yom Kippur liturgy. But where was the tenth man the worshiper who would complete the minyan the quorum necessary to pray?
When the service was finished the stranger insisted on staying in the synagogue overnight. The next day he was honored to be called up third to the Torah reading. As the holy day wound to a close the congregants competed for the privilege of inviting their guest to break his fast in their home. As a compromise it was agreed that the cantor should have that honor.
Walking through the narrow alleys of the Jewish quarter the old man was slow in following. At one turning the cantor lost sight of him. He must be resting the cantor thought and retraced his steps. To his dismay the old man was nowhere to be found. After searching for an hour he returned home exhausted and told his wife I cannot find our honored visitor the tenth of our minyan. The poor soul must be lost and starving.
After breaking his fast the cantor retired to bed still distressed over his missing guest. During the night the old man appeared to him in a dream. Dear host cherished resident of Hebron please do not be upset. I am not lost and I have no need to eat or drink. I was sent by the Heavenly Assembly to be with you on Yom Kippur so that you should have a minyan. For I am your father Avraham.
Four hundred years later standing in what has ever since been called the Avraham Avinu Synagogue I listened to this story as a guest of the new settlers of Jewish Hebron and as part of a solidarity visit to the communities of Judea and Samaria.
Like the majority of Diaspora Jews I have often viewed our settlers as religious gun-toting fanatics who are an obstacle to peace in the Middle East. However I was willing to be persuaded otherwise and accepted an invitation to join a two-day visit to Judea and Samaria.
The first thing to understand is that Judea and Samaria – commonly referred to as the West Bank – comprise biblical Israel and much of the original Jewish homeland. While Abraham never visited Tel Aviv Hebron was his first stop in the land that was promised to our people. Genesis carefully records his purchase of the Tomb of the Patriarchs – Machpela and its surrounding field – for 400 silver shekels. It was in Hebron that King David was anointed and where he reigned for seven years.
The story of our people’s return to Machpela after 700 years was best told by Rabbi Shlomo Goren chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces during the 1967 war. Fresh from the liberation of Jerusalem and the Western Wall he wanted to be among the first Jews to return to the ancient city of the patriarchs. Holding the rank of general he joined the armed forces stationed at the recently captured Etzion Bloc on their way to Hebron. On the evening of 28 Iyar before retiring for the night he asked to be wakened when the soldiers began their march into Hebron the following day.
