Love of the Land - Beersheba
  Selections from classical Torah sources which express the special relationship between the People of Israel and Eretz Yisrael BEERSHEBA The name of this city, which played such an important role in the lives of Patriarchs, comes from the covenant which Avraham made with the Philistine ruler Avimelech. They sealed this pact with an oath near the site where Avraham discovered a spring of water ("Be'er" - spring, "Sheva" - oath) and then established there his "eishel" as the base for his legendary hospitality. The well built upon this spring was eventually stuffed up by the Philistines until Avraham's son Yitzchak restored it to use. He called it by the same name to mark the covenant he made with the very same Philistines. It was from Beersheba that Yaakov set out on his journey from Eretz Yisrael.
Modern Beersheba is Israel's largest development
town and is known as the "Capital of the Negev." During
the War of Independence it was initially captured by the Egyptians
but later conquered by Israeli forces in "Operation Ten Plagues."
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Written by Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, Dean, Ohr Somayach Institutions
General Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman
HTML Production: Eli Ballon
HTML Design: Michael Treblow
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