75 words for 75 years of Israel – Bayit/House

April 30, 2023

In honor of Israel’s 75th birthday, Israel365 is excited to launch a new series of essays that will unlock the secrets of the Hebrew Bible!

Excerpted from Rabbi Akiva Gersh’s forthcoming book, 75 Hebrew Words You Need to Understand the Bible, these essays illuminate the connection between related Hebrew words, revealing Biblical secrets only accessible through Hebrew.

Enjoy the series – and happy 75th birthday to the State of Israel!

בַּי֓×Ŗ

BAYIT

BAIY-EET

HOUSE

והביאו×Ŗים אל ה×Ø ×§×“×©×™ ושמח×Ŗים בבי×Ŗ ×Ŗפל×Ŗי עול×Ŗיהם וזבחיהם ל×Øצון על מזבחי כי בי×Ŗי בי×Ŗ ×Ŗפלה יק×Øא לכל העמים.

ויי×Øא ויאמ×Ø ×ž×” נו×Øא המקום הזה אין זה כי אם בי×Ŗ אלהים וזה שע×Ø ×”×©×ž×™×.

A bayit, a house, is a place that is familiar to us, where we feel comfortable and connected. We feel safe at home.

The word bayit, however, is used in Hebrew to describe more than just our personal dwelling spaces. It also refers to the most important buildings in all of Biblical history and ritual: the Temple that once stood in Jerusalem and our present-day synagogues.

The Temple was called the Beit HaMikdash, literally ā€œthe House of the Holy.ā€ Though it was elevated above all other physical structures and was located in the holiest place in the world, it was still meant to be and feel like an intimate home for all people. As Isaiah said, ā€œMy house shall be called a house of prayer for all nationsā€ (Isaiah 56:7).

This idea is reflected in Godā€™s commandment to build the Tabernacle, the predecessor to the Temple. ā€œMake for Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell among themā€ (Exodus 25:8). The verse says ā€œdwell among themā€ instead of ā€œdwell in it,ā€ emphasizing that the purpose of the Tabernacle was to create a place where humanity would feel at home with God.

The same is true of the Beit Knesset, the Hebrew word for synagogue, which literally means ā€œa house of gathering.ā€ The synagogue is meant to simultaneously create an atmosphere of great awe and great closeness to God. As Rebbe Nachman of Breslov taught, ā€œone should talk to God as if talking to a close friend.ā€ By experiencing the synagogue as a ā€œhouse,ā€ we feel comforted and close to God, allowing us to open our hearts wide in prayer and in praise. 

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