Author Archives: The Torah Tour Guide

About The Torah Tour Guide

Yosef Back, a.k.a. “The Torah Tour Guide” has been a tour guide for over five years. Yosef seamlessly meshes together his yeshiva experience and his professional training to provide what he calls “Torah Tours”, which brings the Torah to life by experiencing the Land of Israel and thereby gaining an understanding of our traditions. He is thoroughly versed in Jewish history and sources relevant to the land of Israel, and has led numerous tours for institutions such as: Aish HaTorah, JLE, Hamercaz, PERI, Pisgah, Ohr Samayach Center Program, Beis Yaakov, and JEWEL. A graduate of the Ner Le’Elef Jewish Leadership Institute, Yosef received his rabbinical ordination from Yeshivas Aish HaTorah and from Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg of Jerusalem. His study of Judaism sparked his interest in Biblical archaeology that finds expression in his work as a tour guide and in his upcoming book “Abrahams Shard: A Jewish Perspective on Biblical Archeology.” Originally from Los Angeles, Yosef moved to Israel in 2001 he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and three children.

Mount Sartava

Posted on March 19, 2012 by The Torah Tour Guide

What do yom tov sheni, smoke signals, and Samaritans have in common? The answer is Sartava, a very pronounced mountain that rises dramatically from the floor of the Jordan valley. We learn in the Mishnah that originally before we had … Continue reading →

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Southern Mikveh on Masada

Posted on March 19, 2012 by The Torah Tour Guide

One of the most exciting discoveries on Masada was that of the Mikvahs. They were the first pools to be identified as Mikvahs in Israeli archeology by Yigal Yadin, during his expedition in 1963. Since then hundreds of Mikvahs have … Continue reading →

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The Ancient Egyptians Worshiped Sheep

Posted on March 19, 2012 by The Torah Tour Guide

The Abomination of Egypt; the Miracle of the Passover Sacrifice After the fourth plague, Pharaoh offered Moses a compromise – the Israelites could worship God in Egypt without going to the wilderness. Moses replied, “We are going to sacrifice the … Continue reading →

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The Origins of the Jewish Etrog

Posted on March 19, 2012 by The Torah Tour Guide

Tu BiShvat has come and gone. One of the customs of the day is to pray that one will find a beautiful etrog – a citron – to be used during the upcoming holiday of Sukkot, the feast of Tabernacles. … Continue reading →

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The Ancient Boundary of Gezer

Posted on March 12, 2012 by The Torah Tour Guide

The ancient city of Gezer was located in the coastal plain of Israel southwest of Jerusalem. Archeologists have unearthed at least 11 stones imbedded in the outskirts of the site, each one with the inscription “Techum Gezer” (Boundary of Gezer) … Continue reading →

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The Monument known as the “tomb of Zechariah”

Posted on March 12, 2012 by The Torah Tour Guide

It was named for the Prophet Zechariah who was killed in the Temple. (2 Chronicles 24:20-21). The Talmud Yerushalmi relates that this not only happened in the Temple, but it was Yom Kippur that coincided with Shabbat. The Talmud Bavli … Continue reading →

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Ancient Synagogue of Meron

Posted on March 12, 2012 by The Torah Tour Guide

Tradition has it that this is the Beit Midrash of Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai. The Talmud tells us in several places that Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai set up a Beit Midrash in Tekoa after he left the cave (in which he … Continue reading →

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The Theodotus Inscription

Posted on March 12, 2012 by The Torah Tour Guide

The obligation to read the Torah in public every Shabbat, Monday, and Thursday is a rabbinical institution enacted by Moshe Rabbeinu. (See Rambam, Hilchot Tefillah 12:1). In 1913 Baron Rothchild funded the excavation of the French-Jewish archaeologist Raymond Weill in what is … Continue reading →

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