The Sacred Duty of Aliyah LaRegel
Three times every year, the Jewish people would travel to Jerusalem for the festivals of Pesach (Passover), Shavuos (Feast of Weeks), and Sukkos (Feast of Tabernacles). This special journey was called “Aliyah LaRegel” – going up to Jerusalem for the festivals.
The Torah commands this mitzvah in three places. In the book of Shmos (Exodus), it states that each male shall appear before Hashem three times per year. In Dvarim (Deuteronomy), it tells us which three festivals these are, and adds that no one should come “empty-handed.” Everyone had to bring offerings based on how much Hashem had blessed them. Wealthy people were expected to bring more expensive offerings than poor people.
When you went on Aliyah LaRegel, you had to fulfill three special mitzvos:
- R’iyah – appearing before Hashem with a Korban Olah (burnt offering)
- Chagigah – celebrating with a Korban Chagigah (festival offering)
- Simcha – being joyous with a Korban Shlamim (peace offering)
The Korban Olah was completely burned on the altar, except for the animal’s hide, which was given to the Kohanim (priests). The Korban Chagigah was mostly eaten by the people who brought it during their Yom Tov meals in Jerusalem, though some parts went to the Kohanim. The Korban Simcha was eaten on each day of Yom Tov, including Chol HaMoed (the intermediate days of the festival).
All these offerings could only be eaten in Jerusalem, which meant that everyone who came for Aliyah LaRegel had to stay in Jerusalem for the entire festival!
Preparing for the Journey
Imagine it’s a month before Pesach. You and your family are getting ready for your journey to Jerusalem. But you’re not the only ones preparing – the Beis Din (Jewish court) has already sent out messengers to prepare the roads.
These court messengers did very important work. They created rest stations along the way where pilgrims could stop in the shade, rest, or pitch tents. They dug wells so travelers and their animals would have water on both their journey to Jerusalem and their return home.
Another important job of the Beis Din messengers was marking graves. Starting a month before Pesach, they would find graves along the pilgrimage routes and mark them with white paint. This was to ensure that pilgrims, especially Kohanim, wouldn’t accidentally become ritually impure by walking over a grave. This was very important because anyone who became impure couldn’t enter the Temple.
Setting Out on the Journey
Now imagine you’re starting your journey! Pilgrims came from all directions – some from the east, some from the Galilee in the north, some from across the Jordan River, and some from the areas of Mount Scopus and the Mount of Olives.
As you walk, you join with other families also making the journey. Together, you recite verses from Psalms: “I rejoiced when they said to me: let us go to the house of the Lord.”
The roads are filled with excitement. Families are singing, children are running ahead and then waiting for their parents to catch up. Everyone is dressed in their best clothes, and many are carrying their first fruits or leading animals for sacrifices.
When you get closer to Jerusalem, you recite: “Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.” And as you approach the Holy City, you all joyfully proclaim, “Let every soul praise the Lord, Hallelujah!”
Arriving in Jerusalem
As you approach Jerusalem, you see its magnificent walls rising before you. The city sits on hills, with the Holy Temple gleaming white and gold at the highest point. It’s so bright that on sunny days, people say you can’t look directly at it because it will blind you!
efore entering the Temple area, you need to purify yourself. Even if you were careful on the journey, you might have become ritually impure. There are many houses of purification (beit hatahara) throughout Jerusalem.
Some people only need to immerse themselves in a mikveh (ritual bath). But if someone became impure through contact with a dead body, they needed a special purification process. This person would come to the beit hatahara on their third day of impurity to be sprinkled with the ashes of a red heifer. They would do the same on the seventh day and then immerse in a mikveh.
The red heifer was a very special animal. It was prepared on the Mount of Olives, opposite the Temple. The process was complex: The Kohen would slaughter and burn the heifer on a platform built on arches. Then he would take cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson wool and throw them into the burning remains. The ashes were collected and used for this special purification.
Entering the City
The citizens of Jerusalem would come out to greet the arriving pilgrims! The Talmud says that when farmers bringing their first fruits arrived, all craftsmen would stand before them and say, “Our brothers from wherever you have come, you are welcome!”
You would need to change your money before entering the Temple. Regular coins with Caesar’s image were not allowed in the Temple. The central “bank” in Jerusalem was located on the Temple Mount in a building called the royal portico or stoa. To reach this building, you would climb stairs to an overpass that crossed over the main road and markets along the western wall.
Jerusalem homeowners would invite pilgrims to stay in their homes during the festival – free of charge! The Talmud explains that homeowners in Jerusalem didn’t charge rent because the houses weren’t actually theirs. Jerusalem belonged to all Jewish people!
The Holy Temple
After changing your money and purifying yourself, you would access the Temple through the southern gates, called the Hulda gates. These gates led to tunnels under the plaza. The walls of these tunnels were lined with candles, and the ceilings were carved and painted with beautiful designs that looked like Persian carpets.
When you emerged onto the Temple plaza, the sight would take your breath away! The Temple itself was made of shining white marble and gold, with bronze entrance doors. Gold spikes lined the roof to prevent birds from sitting on the Temple and soiling it.
You could hear the beautiful music of the Levites, who sang and played instruments at the entrance. Pilgrims would circle the Temple seven times and then watch the various rituals. You could sit under the columned porticos surrounding the plaza and listen to the rabbis teaching.
The Temple area was divided into different sections:
- The outer area for gentiles
- An area for women
- Areas for Israelites, Levites, and Priests
- And finally, in the center of the Temple, the Holy of Holies
The Holy of Holies was the innermost chamber where the Ark of the Law was kept. Only the High Priest could enter this sacred space, and only once a year on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). He even wore a belt around his waist so that if he died unexpectedly, he could be pulled out without anyone else having to enter.
The Pilgrimage Experience
The entire city of Jerusalem was designed to accommodate the massive influx of pilgrims. The roads were made of paving stones weighing up to 19 tons, so stable that they hardly moved even when the massive stones from the walls fell on them during the Temple’s destruction centuries later.
Beneath these pavements was a complex water system that collected runoff water, which was essential for ritual bathing and performing sacrifices. Despite the dry climate, Jerusalem had many ritual baths filled using aqueducts and pipes that stretched over 50 miles!
Even the exit stairs from the Temple were specially designed to prevent crowding. They encouraged people to spread out over a larger area when services ended.
During your stay in Jerusalem, you would offer your sacrifices, participate in the festival celebrations, and eat your ritual meals within the city walls. You would stay for the entire festival, including the intermediate days, fulfilling the mitzvah of Simcha by eating your Korban Shlamim each day.
What an experience it must have been – three times every year, the entire nation gathered together to serve Hashem in unity and joy!
Who Was Exempt?
While all Jewish males were commanded to make this pilgrimage, some people were exempt:
- Women
- Children (though a child who could walk was obligated for educational purposes)
- A person deaf in even one ear
- A person blind in even one eye
- Someone with mental illness that exempted them from all mitzvos
- Someone who had difficulty walking, even in one leg
- Someone who couldn’t walk barefoot (as shoes weren’t allowed on the Temple Mount)
- Elderly, sick, or weak people who couldn’t make the walk from their home to the Temple courtyard
According to some opinions, people who didn’t own land in Israel were also exempt, though others disagreed.
Rules on the Temple Mount
When you visited the Temple Mount, you had to follow special rules:
- No shoes were allowed
- You couldn’t carry a wallet or money belt
- You couldn’t take shortcuts through the Temple Mount
These rules showed respect for the holiness of the place. The Temple was the center of Jewish life, where Heaven and Earth met, and where the entire nation gathered together to serve Hashem.
Three times a year, the roads to Jerusalem were filled with joyous pilgrims, the city bustled with visitors from all over the land, and the Temple was the focus of prayer, sacrifice, and celebration. It was truly the height of Jewish national and spiritual life!
The author can be reached at yairhoffman2@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment