Tel Gezer

We visited Tel Gezer today. I was standing on ground in which 27 civilizations constructed their communities, built a culture, and crafted history. Each person in each one of the 27 civilizations looked out onto the same mountains I did, and looked out into the same flat land I did. But I, and the person at Gezer from 4,000 years ago did not see the same thing. I see what society thinks of now as progression, technology, and justice, seeing cars and people being shocked over learning that human sacrifice existed, but the Gezer citizen 4,000 years ago also saw what they thought of as progression, technology and justice- a trench and a room within a wall. What allowed this great progression within these 4,000 years is the idea of the Tel itself- building off of what someone else has already built. Each one of these civilizations’ culture and history was not completely distinct. Rather, each of the 27 civilizations’ culture and history was influenced by the culture and history of the civilization that came before them in the Tel. They saw what was before them, took it, and often made it better. This learning from the past civilization, not a constant recreation of a distinct culture, was what allowed progress on the Tel.

            Like the 27 civilizations that built off from one another, I, along with most other Jews, build off different people. Just in the short while that I have been in Jewish history class, I have heard the words “building off of what ___ said” countless times. Usually what follows these words is a more deeper understanding than what the person before them said, but these deeper words would not existed without the inspiration that came from words before them. People must listen to others, and this listening is what allows inspiration for progress in ideas. Just like we have listened to history in order to progress, the future will listen to us, so we must act as role models.