N^әtzâr•imꞋ  Logo

(2 Olive Trees & M^әnor•âhꞋ ; fm Z^әkhar•yâhꞋ  4)

I'm occasionally asked why Karen and I moved to, and consequently the N^әtzâr•imꞋ  are headquartered in, Ra•a•nanꞋ â(h) rather than Y^әru•shâ•laꞋ yim.

I couldn't tolerate the sound of Muslim muezzin assaulting my ears wailing a•vod•âhꞋ  zâr•âhꞋ  defiling the Holy City over loudspeakers, church bells assaulting my ears clanging a•vod•âhꞋ  zâr•âhꞋ  defiling the Holy City, Muslim and Christian Arabs everywhere I turned defiling the Holy City, Ultra-Orthodox trampling Tor•âhꞋ  – transforming Judaism into a•vod•âhꞋ  zâr•âhꞋ  defiling the Holy City and we couldn't find a place to live in Y^әru•shâ•laꞋ yim that was Jewish, affordable and oriented to a modern practice of Tor•âhꞋ .

It turns out, though, that my reasoning was serendipitous. The Prescient Designer had a bigger reason, of which I was totally oblivious. When we finally settled in רַעֲנָנָה‎‎, I wasn't even aware of its meaning – the fem. form of רַעֲנָן. This, although I was completely unaware of it at the time, relates directly to Z^әkhar•yâhꞋ  4.14: "These are the two בנֵי-הַיִּצְהָר

Nothing could be more appropriate for refreshing Yi•s^ә•râ•eilꞋ  – blending in the יִּצְהָר of RuꞋ akh ha-QoꞋ dësh / Sh^әkhin•âhꞋ  רַעֲנָנָה‎‎ after 2,000 years of exile.

"You raised my qërꞋ ën like a wild-ox, בַּלֹּתִי with רַעֲנָן (olive) oil… Planted in Beit י--ה, in the courtyards of our Ël•oh•imꞋ , וְרַעֲנַנִּים shall they be." (T^әhil•imꞋ  92.11, 14)

"But I am like a רַעֲנָן olive (tree) in Beit Ël•oh•imꞋ ; I have trusted in the khësꞋ ëd of Ël•oh•imꞋ  l^Ə-o•lâmꞋ  and beyond." (T^әhil•imꞋ  52.10

"Then all of your kindred shall be Tza•diq•imꞋ ; l^Ə-o•lâmꞋ  shall they inherit the âꞋ rëtz; the NeiꞋ tzër of My Planting, the Ma•as•ëhꞋ  of My Hand, to become opulent." (Y^әsha•yâhꞋ u 60.21)