Ziemia Święta w oczach rabina Izaaka Chelo (XIV wiek)

In 1333, rabbi Isaac Chelo from Aragon and his family set out to the East intending to settle in Jerusalem. One result of his journey is the rabbi’s description of Palestine and Syria that has remained. Isaac Chelo’s work is structured according to an idea in which the magic number seven plays a prominent part. The author described seven wonders of Jerusalem, seven routes leading to the Holy City, on each he mentioned seven remarkable places, seven major synagogues, and referred to seven prophets and seven cabalistic books. Despite this close implementation of a predefined pattern, the account makes for a valuable source enabling the historian to look at the Holy Land through the eyes of an adherent of the Mosaic religion. As an added advantage, the narrative is by an educated author who was well qualified to observe, correctly understand, and describe the places he visited and the relics he saw there. In describing the routes, the author focused equally on places and figures referred to in the Bible, and on mementoes of notable rabbis; in vain would we look for more detailed information on the current political, social, or religious situation in the Holy Land, nor is the slightest mention to be found of plants, animals, climate, or landscape.