Transcript [00:00] Are the Samaritans the true Israelites? [00:02] Every year on Passover, hundreds of [00:04] people climb to the place where their [00:07] temple once stood and sacrifice lambs [00:10] exactly as the Torah describes. They [00:12] have done this every single year without [00:15] interruption for thousands of years. And [00:18] no, I'm not talking about Jerusalem. And [00:21] I'm not talking about the Jews. I'm [00:24] talking about the Samaritans. [00:27] Right now, I'm driving to Mount Gerizim, [00:29] one of the holiest, most unusual, and [00:32] least known places in Israel. I'm going [00:34] to meet a Samaritan priest and a [00:36] Samaritan woman, and we're also going to [00:39] talk about Jews, Jesus, history, Trina, [00:43] and blood. How are all these things [00:45] connected? You will understand soon [00:47] enough. So, come along with me in my [00:50] brand [music] new Mazda. Well, it was [00:52] new back in 2002, and let's head to [00:56] Mount Gerizim. [01:03] I'm standing right now on Mount Gerizim. [01:05] At the very top is the holiest site for [01:08] the Samaritans, which is also an [01:10] archaeological site. And right next to [01:12] it is a Samaritans' village. [01:15] In the Bible, it is known as the [01:17] mountain of blessing. It rises 880 m [01:20] above sea level with the city of Nablus, [01:23] biblical Shechem, spread out below it. [01:26] But, the real importance of this [01:27] mountain is not the view. Even before [01:30] the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, [01:32] Moses gave them a clear instructions in [01:35] the book of Deuteronomy. [01:37] "You shall set the blessing on Mount [01:39] Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal." [01:42] Picture the scene, two large mountains [01:44] standing across from each other. On one [01:47] side is Mount Gerizim, representing [01:49] blessing. On the other is Mount Ebal, [01:52] dry and rocky, representing the curse. [01:55] And between them, in the valley, is the [01:57] city of Shechem. When Joshua led the [02:00] Israelites into the land, they carried [02:02] out this ceremony. Half of the tribes [02:04] stood on Mount Gerizim and answered [02:06] "Amen" to the blessings, peace, success, [02:09] and prosperity. The other half stood on [02:12] Mount Ebal and answered "Amen" to the [02:15] curse that would come if the people [02:17] abandoned the laws of the Torah. [02:19] This was a defining moment. Mount [02:22] Gerizim became the mountain of blessing. [02:25] But the biblical story of the area [02:27] starts even earlier. Shechem and the [02:29] mountains around it were Abraham's first [02:32] stop after he entered the land of [02:34] Canaan. At Elon Moreh, he built an [02:37] altar. This is also where Jacob later [02:40] bought a piece of land and built an [02:41] altar of his own. And that is important. [02:45] Long before Jerusalem became the capital [02:47] of the kingdom of Judea under King David [02:50] and King Solomon, Shechem and the [02:52] surrounding mountains were at the center [02:55] of the biblical story. This was the land [02:57] of the patriarch, the tribes, and the [03:00] early settlements of the Israelites. For [03:02] the Samaritans, this is not just an [03:05] important biblical site. It is the [03:08] holiest place on Earth. And to [03:10] understand why, you first need to ask a [03:12] very interesting question. What exactly [03:15] is the Bible? Does the word Bible means [03:18] only the five books of Moses? Does it [03:21] also includes the prophets and the rest [03:23] of the Hebrew Bible? What about the [03:25] Talmud and the later rabbinic writings? [03:28] Does it also include the New Testament? [03:30] This question matters here because the [03:33] Samaritans accept only the five books of [03:36] Moses as sacred scripture. They do not [03:39] accept the prophets, the rest of the [03:41] Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, or the [03:44] Talmud as religious authority. This is [03:47] also why they do not believe that [03:49] Jerusalem is the place God chose for his [03:52] temple. Jerusalem is never mentioned by [03:55] name in the five books of Moses. Mount [03:58] Gerizim, however, is mentioned directly. [04:01] So, before we look at what the [04:02] Samaritans believe, how they worship, [04:04] and why they still sacrifice lambs on [04:06] Passover, we first need to answer a more [04:08] basic question. Who are the Samaritans? [04:12] There are two very different answers to [04:14] that question. The Samaritan version and [04:17] the Jewish version. Let's start with the [04:19] Samaritan version. According to their [04:21] version, they are the direct descendants [04:24] of the ancient Israelites who never left [04:27] this land. [04:28] In 722 BC, the Assyrian Empire conquered [04:32] the kingdom of Israel and exiled much of [04:34] its population. But, according to the [04:36] Samaritans, not everyone was taken away. [04:40] Their ancestors remained here, on and [04:43] around Mount Gerizim, where they had [04:45] always worshiped God. [04:47] According to Samaritan tradition, the [04:50] great split did not begin with the [04:52] Assyrian conquest. It happened much [04:54] earlier, when Eli the priest moved the [04:56] Tabernacle from Mount Gerizim to Shiloh. [05:00] In their view, that move went against [05:03] God's command. The Samaritan Torah is [05:06] remarkably similar to the Jewish Torah. [05:08] Most of the differences are minor, but [05:11] one difference changes everything. In [05:13] the Samaritan version of the Ten [05:15] Commandments, there is an additional [05:17] commandment instructing the Israelites [05:19] to build an altar on Mount Gerizim. From [05:22] the Samaritan perspective, this [05:24] mountain, not Jerusalem, is the place [05:26] God chose for his sanctuary. Think about [05:30] the biblical story. Abraham builds here [05:32] an altar near Shechem. Jacob buys land [05:35] here and builds another altar. The [05:37] Israelites proclaim the blessing here [05:39] when they entered the promised land. To [05:41] the Samaritans, all of these events [05:44] point to the same conclusion. Mount [05:46] Gerizim has always been the spiritual [05:49] center of Israel. And this is where [05:51] their name come from, Samaritans, or in [05:54] Hebrew Shomronim, from the word Shomer, [05:57] which means to keep or to guard. In [06:00] their view, they are the ones keeping [06:02] and preserving the true original Torah. [06:06] The Samaritans writing preserves the [06:08] ancient Hebrew script. The brother of [06:11] the high priest agreed to let me film [06:13] him reciting the Shma Israel, the most [06:16] fundamental prayer of, let's say, the [06:19] Israelites in their language. [07:02] As an Israeli and a Jew walking around [07:04] here feels really strange. It's almost [07:07] like being in a border zone between [07:09] Jews and non-Jews, and between Israel [07:12] and non-Israel. You hear both Hebrew and [07:15] Arabic spoken here. [07:17] I cannot read the script on the houses, [07:19] but I can tell those are ancient letters [07:22] close to Hebrew. [07:24] Some of the women look Muslim, while [07:26] others are in Western clothing. There [07:29] are a lot of menorahs that remind me of [07:31] synagogues, but the style is like a [07:34] little bit different. Anyway, this was [07:36] the Samaritan tradition. The Jews have a [07:40] completely different version. [07:42] According to the Bible, after conquering [07:44] the kingdom of Israel, the Assyrian [07:46] deported much of the Israelite [07:47] population and replaced them with people [07:50] from other parts of the empire. This was [07:52] a common strategy in the ancient world. [07:55] Moving population made rebellious much [07:58] less likely. [07:59] One of these groups came from a city [08:01] called Kutha. In today it is in Iraq. [08:04] Over time these settlers adopted many [08:06] Israelite beliefs and began worshiping [08:09] the God of Israel. But the Jews never [08:11] regarded them as true Israelites. [08:14] Instead, they became known as the [08:16] Samaritans and this is where their name [08:18] come from, Shomronim, simply because [08:21] they came from Samaria, which in Hebrew [08:24] is called Shomron. [08:25] But wait, how does this make sense? Just [08:28] a second ago I said the name Samaritans [08:31] come from the word to keep, to guard. [08:33] Well, [08:34] in Hebrew every word is built on a [08:36] three-letter root. And as it happens, [08:39] both the name Shomron, Samaria, and the [08:42] verb lishmor, to keep, to guard, shares [08:45] the exact same root letters. [08:48] Whether you accept the Samaritan [08:50] versions or the Jewish version, one fact [08:52] is undeniable. The disagreement between [08:55] Jews and Samaritans wasn't simply an [08:57] argument over history. It wasn't even [09:00] just about identity. It comes down to [09:03] one fundamental question, where did God [09:05] choose to be worshiped? The Jewish [09:07] answer was Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, [09:10] where Solomon would later build a [09:12] temple. The Samaritan answer was Mount [09:15] Gerizim. [09:16] That disagreement shaped the history of [09:18] both peoples for centuries. Sometime [09:21] after the return from the Babylonian [09:23] exile, the Samaritans built their own [09:26] temple right here on Mount Gerizim. [09:28] This wasn't just a small local shrine. [09:31] It became the religious heart of the [09:33] Samaritan community and served the role [09:36] for all [09:37] But the temple did not survive. On 111 [09:40] BC, the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus, [09:44] Yohanan Hyrcanus, conquered the area, [09:46] destroyed the Samaritan temple, and left [09:49] it in ruins. For the Jewish kingdom, [09:51] this sent a clear message. There could [09:54] only be one legitimate temple, and it [09:57] stood in Jerusalem. The Samaritan temple [10:00] disappeared. The Samaritan faith did [10:03] not. And the Samaritans play a central [10:06] role in the New Testament narrative. In [10:08] fact, every time they appear in the New [10:10] Testament, they play a surprisingly [10:13] positive role. The most famous example, [10:15] of course, is the story of the Good [10:17] Samaritan. In Jesus' parable, a man is [10:20] traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when [10:23] he is attacked by robbers, bitten, and [10:26] left on the side of the road. A Jewish [10:28] priest walked by, and he doesn't stop. [10:31] Then, a Levite walks by. He doesn't [10:34] stop, either. Finally, a Samaritan comes [10:37] along. Despite the deep hostility that [10:39] existed between Jews and Samaritans at [10:41] the time, he's the one who helps the [10:43] injured man. He bandages his wounded, [10:46] takes him to an inn, and even pays for [10:48] his care. That's why to this day, the [10:51] expression of good Samaritan means [10:53] someone who helps a stranger in need. [10:56] The Samaritans appear in another famous [10:58] story, this time in the Gospel of John. [11:01] Jesus is traveling from Jerusalem back [11:03] to Galilee. If you look at the map, the [11:06] shortest route goes straight through [11:08] Samaria. But because relationships [11:10] between Jews and Samaritans were so [11:12] hostile, many Jews preferred taking a [11:15] much longer route just to avoid passing [11:18] through Samaritan territory. Jesus [11:21] doesn't avoid it. He walks straight [11:23] through Samaria and stops beside a well [11:26] at the foot of this mountain. There, he [11:29] asks a Samaritan woman for a drink of [11:31] water. She is shocked. Not only were [11:34] Jews and Samaritans deeply divided, but [11:37] in that culture it was also unusual for [11:40] a man to speak privately with a woman he [11:42] didn't know. [11:44] During their conversation, Jesus tells [11:46] her he knows about her personal life, [11:48] that she has had five husbands, and that [11:52] the man she's living with now is not her [11:54] husband. Then he speaks about something [11:56] far more important. He offers her what [11:59] he calls living water, a relationship [12:02] with God that satisfies our present [12:05] deepest spiritual thirst. The woman then [12:08] asks the question that had divided Jews [12:11] and Samaritans for centuries, where [12:14] should people worship God? Here on Mount [12:16] Gerizim or in Jerusalem? [12:18] Jesus gives an answer that completely [12:21] changes the conversation. He says that [12:24] the day is coming where true worship [12:27] will no longer depend on a particular [12:29] mountain or city. Instead, people will [12:32] worship God in spirit and in truth. So [12:35] Christians, this is one of the most [12:37] significant conversations in the New [12:39] Testament. It also takes place right [12:42] here at the foot of Mount Gerizim. [12:44] Ironically, even though the Samaritans [12:46] are portrayed positively in the New [12:48] Testament, life become much harder for [12:51] them after the Roman Empire adopted [12:54] Christianity. During the Byzantine [12:56] period, churches were built on [12:58] Samaritans holy sites, including one [13:01] right here on Mount Gerizim. The ruins [13:04] are still visible today. At the time, [13:07] the Samaritan population is believed to [13:08] have reached nearly half a million [13:10] people. Then they revolted against [13:12] Byzantine rule. The revolt was crushed. [13:16] Most of the Samaritans community was [13:18] killed or dispersed, and their [13:20] population never recovered. The [13:22] centuries that followed under Muslim [13:24] rule brought additional hardships, and [13:27] by the beginning of the 20th century, [13:29] only about 150 Samaritans remained. It [13:32] is remarkable that the community [13:34] survived at all. Today, the entire [13:36] Samaritan community is divided between [13:38] two places, here on Mount Gerizim and [13:41] Holon, near Tel Aviv. Although it is a [13:44] tiny community, they continue practicing [13:47] one biblical commandment that almost no [13:49] one else still performs, the Passover [13:53] sacrifice. Every year, on the eve of [13:55] Passover, the entire Samaritan community [13:58] gathered on the summit of Mount Gerizim, [14:00] right here, to carry out Passover [14:02] sacrifice, exactly as it is described in [14:05] the book of Exodus. For Jews, animal [14:08] sacrifice came to an end nearly 2,000 [14:11] years ago, when the Romans destroyed the [14:14] Second Temple in Jerusalem. From that [14:16] point on, prayers replaced sacrifice. [14:20] For the Samaritans, however, the [14:21] commandment never ended. Every single [14:25] year, without interruption, they [14:27] continue the same ceremony their [14:29] ancestors believe they had been [14:31] performing for thousands of years. [14:34] Everyone in the community dresses in [14:36] white. The high priest steps on the [14:38] platform, and then hundreds of voices [14:41] begin chanting verses from the Torah in [14:44] ancient Hebrew Aramaic prayer that has [14:47] been passed down for generations. As the [14:49] sun sets, the high priest gives the [14:52] signal, and dozens of lambs are [14:54] sacrificed at that same moment. The [14:57] blood is placed on the foreheads of [14:59] community members and their children, [15:01] recalling the blood that the Israelites [15:04] placed on their door posts in Egypt [15:06] during the first Passover. But the [15:09] sacrifice is only the beginning. The [15:11] lambs are cleaned, salted, and lowered [15:13] into deep underground ovens that have [15:16] been heated for hours. The pits are [15:18] covered with the rocks and earth, [15:20] trapping the intense heat inside while [15:22] the meat slowly roasted throughout the [15:24] evening. Around midnight, the lambs are [15:27] removed and the community gathered to [15:29] eat them exactly as described in the [15:31] Torah with unleavened bread. Eating [15:34] quickly, just as the Israel did on the [15:37] night of the Exodus. By sunrise, every [15:40] remaining piece of meat is burned until [15:43] nothing is left. Personally, I find this [15:45] fascinating. I made an entire video [15:48] about the history of sacrifice in [15:50] Jerusalem. It wasn't one of my most [15:52] popular videos, but it is still one of [15:54] my personal favorites because sacrifices [15:57] was the very center of almost every [16:01] ancient civilization. [16:02] Whether we're talking about child [16:04] sacrifice to the Molech, Abraham [16:06] preparing to sacrifice Isaac, the [16:09] sacrifices in the Jewish temple, or [16:11] Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross. [16:14] The idea of sacrifice shaped the [16:16] religious world at the ancient Middle [16:19] East. Today, most people think about [16:21] connecting with God through prayers, [16:23] meditation, or quiet reflection. But for [16:26] much of human history, public animal [16:28] sacrifice was one of the primary ways [16:31] people expressed their relationship with [16:33] the divine. [16:34] That wasn't unique to ancient Israel. [16:37] Greeks, Romans, and many other [16:39] civilization practiced sacrifice as [16:42] well. The blood of the Passover [16:44] sacrifices public. The entire community [16:47] gathered around it. Everyone witnesses [16:49] it. Everyone participated in it. But [16:52] there is another kind of blood discussed [16:54] throughout the Torah. And among the [16:56] Samaritans, it is treated in exactly the [16:59] opposite way. Not publicly, but [17:02] privately. I'm talking about [17:04] menstruation. Both Jews and Samaritans [17:07] read the same verses in the book of [17:09] Leviticus stating that a woman during [17:12] her period is ritually impure and that [17:15] whatever she touches, sits on, or lie on [17:18] also becomes ritually impure. But, this [17:21] is where the two traditions developed [17:25] very differently. Rabbinic Judaism spent [17:27] nearly 2,000 years interpreting these [17:30] laws. As a result, in most Jewish [17:32] communities today, the practical focus [17:35] is mainly on physical intimacy between [17:37] husband and wife rather than complete [17:41] physical separation. The Samaritans took [17:44] a different path. They largely continued [17:46] following the biblical text as it is [17:49] written. Traditionally, during her [17:51] period, a Samaritan woman lives [17:53] separately from the rest of the [17:55] household. In early generation, many [17:58] homes had a separate building for this [18:01] purpose. During that time, she does not [18:03] prepare food for the family, avoids [18:06] using shared household items, and does [18:09] not sit on furniture used by the rest of [18:11] the family because, according to [18:13] Samaritans religious law, those objects [18:16] also become ritually impure. Most Jewish [18:19] communities no longer observe these laws [18:22] in the literal way. The Samaritans still [18:25] do because, from their perspective, if [18:27] the Torah gives a commandment, it is not [18:30] something later generations have the [18:32] authority to change. What's interesting [18:34] is that this period also mean the [18:36] husband take over the household [18:38] responsibilities for the week. Cooking, [18:41] cleaning, and caring for the family [18:43] become his responsibility while his wife [18:46] is separated and free from daily [18:49] household life. [18:51] As [snorts] a Jew, I find it fascinating [18:52] to see how two communities, starting [18:55] with almost the same biblical text, [18:57] developed in such different directions. [18:59] Judaism became a religion built around [19:01] centuries of legal interpretation. A [19:04] single verse like do not boil a young [19:07] goat in its mother's milk eventually [19:09] developed into an entire system of [19:13] dietary laws separating meat and dairy. [19:16] Yet, when it comes to the laws [19:17] surrounding menstruation, Rabbinic [19:19] Judaism moved towards a much [19:22] narrower practical interpretation, while [19:25] the Samaritans preserved a far more [19:27] literal reading of the biblical text. I [19:30] could have made this video entirely [19:32] about archaeology, or history, or [19:35] biblical geography. Every one of those [19:37] topics could easily fill an hour-long [19:40] documentary. But, I deliberately chose [19:42] to focus on blood, the blood of [19:44] sacrifice and the blood of the period, [19:47] because blood appears everywhere in the [19:49] Bible. In fact, the word blood appears [19:52] 360 [19:53] times in the Hebrew Bible. Blood isn't [19:56] just associated with death. It is also [19:58] deeply connected to life. [20:01] A woman's period cycle is part of the [20:03] process that makes life possible. [20:06] Throughout the Bible, blood represents [20:08] life, covenant, purity, sacrifice, [20:10] forgiveness, and atonement. The Bible [20:13] isn't just a collection of abstract [20:16] spiritual ideas. It is grounded in [20:19] everyday's life, in farming, family, [20:22] work, birth, death, and the physical [20:25] world. That's one of the things I find [20:27] so fascinating about it. Speaking of the [20:30] physical world, as I was walking through [20:32] the site, I bumped into a crew working [20:34] here. When I asked what they were [20:36] restoring, they told me they were [20:38] preserving the ancient latrines, which [20:42] turns out is pretty essential, because [20:44] Jews, Samaritans, Romans, and Christians [20:47] all need to use the bathroom once in a [20:50] while. We're heading to the Samaritan [20:52] Museum, where we will hear their story [20:54] from someone who grew up in this [20:56] community. I haven't visited the museum, [21:00] so I'm curious to hear how they will [21:02] tell their own history. It may not be [21:05] exactly the same version as I just share [21:07] with you. [21:29] Can you please tell us what is your name [21:31] and what can we see here and who are [21:34] you? [21:35] >> My name is Salwa Coen. I'm a Samaritan [21:37] woman. [21:38] The daughter of the priest Husni Yefet [21:40] Coen who established the museum before [21:42] 30 years. [21:43] Here you can come to the museum and come [21:45] with us to have a journey throughout the [21:47] history to know everything about the [21:50] Samaritans, the true Israelites. Since [21:52] 3,664 [21:54] years when they entered the Holy Land [21:56] till till now, we are still exist on [21:59] Mount Gerizim and the other half of the [22:01] community on a Holon near Tel Aviv. [22:05] We are the smallest community all over [22:08] the world and this museum will show you [22:10] everything about the Samaritans, [22:12] history, traditions, the holidays and [22:14] everything. [22:15] >> And I see here you have three passports, [22:18] like the Jordanian passport, the [22:20] Palestinian passport, the Israeli [22:22] passport. [22:24] How how how do you see yourselves? [22:25] >> Yes, the Samaritan on Mount Gerizim have [22:27] three passports. The Jordanian before [22:31] '67 King Hussein offered the Samaritans [22:33] the Jordanian. Palestinian we had it, [22:35] but we asked to have the Israeli one on [22:37] 1995 because the half of the community [22:40] is living in Holon near Tel Aviv and [22:42] they are handling only the Israeli [22:44] passport in order to be in touch with [22:46] them and to have we are the same [22:48] community in two different places. So, [22:50] to keep in touch with them we asked to [22:52] have the Israeli but we keep also the [22:53] Palestinian with us because we are [22:55] living on Mount Gerizim which is A B C [22:58] and this is critical area. So, we keep [23:00] about uh both nationalities and also we [23:03] are um respect both nationalities and we [23:07] are citizens in both [23:08] okay states. Yes. [23:10] >> You have your own calendar. [23:12] >> True. Our calendar Samaritan calendar [23:15] which you can't collated since the [23:16] interest of the Holy Land 3,664 [23:19] years ago. It is [23:22] 12 month throughout the all the year [23:25] based on lunar system. So the first [23:27] month always will be on any late March [23:31] 1st April. [23:32] Let's say first month we will celebrate [23:35] the Passover on the night of the 14th [23:38] day of the first month of the Samaritan [23:39] calendar. [23:40] Passover then we will celebrate the [23:43] unleavened bread which is matzot all the [23:45] Samaritan will [23:47] make special bread [23:49] made of flour water salt and only [23:51] without adding any yeast. This is the [23:53] second holiday. The third holiday will [23:55] be Shavuot Pentecost all the Samaritans [23:58] go up on the top of Mount Gerizim in [24:01] order to make the [24:02] pilgrimage on it. The fourth one is the [24:05] New Year Samaritan New Year the the the [24:08] in Hebrew we called it Rosh Chodesh [24:09] Shim. Number five will be fasting day [24:13] Kippur all the Samaritan should fast 24 [24:16] hours. Number six Tabernacle 20 [24:19] Tabernacle Sukkot all the Samaritan make [24:21] special Sukkah inside our home and the [24:24] last one the seventh one will be Shemini [24:26] Atzeret Habitora all the Samaritans [24:28] gathered all together in the synagogue [24:30] and we make special prayers on it. So [24:32] our calendar is 12 month but we have [24:35] also years which called leap year which [24:37] will be it will be 13 months again one [24:40] month extra. So this year we celebrated [24:43] the Passover the 30th of October April [24:46] and Jews celebrated the 2nd of April. [24:48] Why? Because the Samaritan we have leap [24:50] year Jews will not have leap year and [24:53] this is the differences between us. [24:54] >> And the name of the months are like the [24:56] >> Say Rishon Sheni Shlishi the first [24:59] second Okay, not like the Jewish [25:04] Okay, and you say you have a very small [25:06] community. Do you marry only inside the [25:09] community or so outside? [25:10] >> We have intermarriage. All the [25:12] Samaritans marry with the same community [25:15] because if we make let everyone do what [25:17] he wants, we will vanish for for all the [25:20] communities [25:21] outside. So, we have one problem before [25:24] 100 years nearly the going Godol at that [25:28] time approved for the men to marry from [25:30] outside the community, Jews or Muslim or [25:33] Christian, but she must be a Samaritan. [25:36] She must convert to be a Samaritan. Why? [25:38] In order to raise her children according [25:40] to our beliefs. This is the idea. So, [25:43] because of that, all the women that we [25:46] let's say take from outside, they are [25:48] now Samaritans and their children are [25:50] Samaritans. Even the children is for [25:53] father in our religion. It's not for [25:54] mother, but she must raise her children [25:57] according to our beliefs. [25:59] >> And what about women? Do they [26:02] like follow exactly the rules as it says [26:05] in in the Bible? [26:07] >> True. Everything written in the five [26:09] books of Moses, we are following them. [26:11] Yeah, I mean let's say maybe [26:14] I don't want to say 100% let's say 900 [26:16] 90 90 90%. Because [26:20] um [26:21] we we need to follow everything written [26:24] in the five books. The woman when an [26:27] let's say a girl [26:28] getting her monthly period for the first [26:31] time even if she's 12 years old, 13 [26:33] years old, 14 years old till she's 50 [26:35] years old, [26:37] she must [26:39] um save and keep about the pure the [26:42] purity and the let's say the the [26:47] to be a pure enough and not touch [26:49] anything inside the home because we [26:51] believe Samaritan home is a holy thing [26:54] and I'm not pure enough to touch [26:56] anything. So I have my own bed, my own [26:58] bathroom, my own [27:00] materials to deal with. My food will [27:03] come to me and I I'm not doing anything [27:05] inside home. I'm only [27:09] sitting aside inside home but not touch [27:11] anything inside home. [27:13] So I can work outside. I can go for a [27:16] picnic or to do what what whatever I [27:18] want but inside home I need [27:21] to be aside. I cannot touch my husband, [27:23] my children, my anything in home. This 7 [27:26] days like a holiday for me. [27:29] So who will be able to to help me to do [27:33] any food to make food or to cook or to [27:35] make a house work? My husband, my [27:38] mother-in-law, my sister-in-law. [27:40] This is strengthen the relationship [27:42] between the community. So you can see [27:44] that this 7 days I'm offline. [27:47] >> Mhm. [27:48] >> And after that we don't have make fair [27:50] but we need to cover our body [27:53] the bathroom and have a shower after [27:56] that. So I'm getting my 7 days over and [28:00] if I'm giving birth to baby boy as it's [28:03] written in the Old Testament it is 40 [28:05] days aside. Only my mission is to taking [28:08] care of my baby and if I am having the [28:11] baby girl I need to have 80 days aside [28:15] taking care just of my baby. After that [28:17] I can do anything I want but this is [28:20] because we believe that the the man or [28:22] the human Samaritan human being is [28:24] sacred and everything related to us is [28:26] sacred. So I cannot do a touch anything [28:29] inside home when I'm at my period. [28:32] >> Okay. And then the family brings food to [28:34] you? [28:35] >> Yes. My mother-in-law, my sister-in-law, [28:37] my my [28:39] husband also. [28:40] This is lets all the community and [28:44] the men exactly to appreciate his wife. [28:46] The man is appreciating his wife when [28:48] she is 7 days aside. She taking the rest [28:51] for this let's say sick time or period [28:53] or monthly period. So, he he appreciate [28:56] his woman when he saw that she is doing [28:58] everything and this 7 days is for him. [29:02] >> Very interesting. Just for people who [29:04] want to come here, so [29:07] this museum is open every day, closed on [29:09] Saturday. [29:11] And people could come not only in [29:14] groups, but also individuals can can [29:16] come here. [29:17] >> Here in our museum, Samaritan Museum, [29:19] which is on Mount Gerizim, [29:21] West Bank, [29:23] near Nablus city. [29:24] We have thanks God safe area. Everyone [29:27] can come here to to see the history of [29:31] the Samaritans and know everything about [29:33] the Samaritans. We are here to guide you [29:35] to know everything even you are alone [29:38] and you are with group. You are welcome [29:40] to be here to know about the Samaritans [29:42] from Sunday to Friday. 8:30 to 4:00 a.m. [29:46] 4:00 p.m. And everyone wants to come [29:49] lately, they can arrange with us about [29:51] his journey. [29:52] >> Okay. Oh, toda raba. [29:54] >> Thank you. [29:55] >> When I told my friends I was driving to [29:57] Har Bracha today, they didn't ask if I [30:00] was visiting the Samaritans or Mount [30:03] Gerizim, not one of them did. Every [30:07] single person asked me exactly the same [30:09] question. [30:10] Are you bringing back Trina tahini? The [30:13] Samaritans own one of Israel's most [30:16] famous tahini factories and many [30:18] Israelis swear it is the best tahini in [30:21] the country. [30:22] Since Trina is practically [30:25] a national food here and an essential [30:27] part of every proper bowl of hummus, [30:31] people have very strong opinions which [30:34] brand is the best. So, now I will head [30:37] to their factory. [30:45] >> This video was about the Samaritans, but [30:48] along the way we ended up talking about [30:50] the Bible, sacrifice, purity, blood, and [30:54] even tahini, tahini. And I guess that's [30:57] what I love most about traveling through [30:59] Israel. You set out to learn about one [31:02] tiny community of just 800 people, and [31:05] somehow you end up asking much bigger [31:07] questions about history, faith, [31:09] identity, and what it really means to [31:11] preserve a tradition for thousands of [31:13] years. I hope this video didn't just [31:16] teach you something new. I hope it also [31:18] gave you something to think about. [31:21] That's exactly what I try to do on my [31:23] tours here in Israel. And before we [31:26] finish, I want to say a huge thank you [31:28] to everyone supporting this channel on [31:31] coffee. Your support is what makes [31:33] videos like this possible. So, thank you [31:35] very much, and I will see you in the [31:38] next one. Yalla, bye.
