Some years ago, it was my privilege to visit the country of Morocco as part of an official United States government delegation. Five large black limousines moved across the beautiful Moroccan countryside at considerable speed. An adult sheep supplies about 2kg of wool annually, and a ewe gives approximately 40kg of milk per year. Thus, the shepherd retains a sense of transience and impermanence that farmers do not, due to their commitment to the land they nurture. Reply, Joseph the farmer Nevertheless, I rejoice in the blessing and opportunity that is now mine to add my personal witness regarding the divinity of this great work to which we have been called. The large outer garment or mantle was usually woolen. Reply, the author should be commended! A shepherd can be a metaphor for Hashem's caring for the Jewish nation yet Man has a mission; "Hashem G-d took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to work it and to guard it." Judaism forbids cruelty to animals. I can't imagine why anyone would do or say that. Often, it is not possible to distinguish between sheep and goats—many bones look exactly the same. The animals do forage in different areas depending on the season. Beginning in 1955, farmers crossbred the improved Israeli Awassi with the German East Friesian breed. So, filling the granaries and not having healthy herds to tend would indicate that he was involved in farming, albeit as an uber-manager. Usually a farmer in early 20th century Palestine would own 15 to 20 ewes. Reply, hello Sarah in Tsfat Reply, Josef as agriculturist Reply, What seasons or months are not appropriate for foraging? I testify, with all the fervency of my soul, regarding the need we have to be true shepherds and to come to know the personal nature of the true shepherd’s call. Reply, Absolutely not! I have heard of a practice, of Shepherds actually breaking the hind leg of a young lamb that continually strays. That allows the ewes to eat fresh, green grass when suckling the lambs. The scene before us has remained with me for these many years. And practically speaking that would be unnecessary, and would incur financial loss to the shepherd. Reply, I recently heard a person say that the shepherds would break the leg of a wandering sheep and carry him back into the fold.My question is this statement true ? They weren’t just all thrown away. In Palestine, the fat-tail sheep (Ovis laticaudata) is the preferred breed. Do we know our sheep, each one, by name? In our day and age this message is especially relevant, as we live in an unprecedented era of liberty and wealth, conditions which naturally lead to complacency and a sense of arrival. I sincerely do not recall where or when i'd heard of this , supposedly , ancient practice. There is something beautiful and enduring about that connect to animals, the land, the blurring of boundaries between earth and sky. But the sheep was similarly important in the agrarian economy of Ancient Israel. They never do.”, Startled, I asked him why. Enter your email address to get our weekly email with fresh, exciting and thoughtful content that will enrich your inbox and your life. Often the rams are put to the ewes in August, so that the lambs are born in February or March. Reply, To Herd & To Be Heard Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Judaism’s very first journey begins with the quest for a land, and the very first divine revelation to the very first Jew (Genesis 12:7) makes central the promise of that land. No, it is not a new call; it has always been so. ( Log Out /  We made aliyah 20 years ago and, in fact, two of my grown sons are shepards. I'm glad to be informed that the practice of breaking the leg of a lamb if false. Thank you for your post. “To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. In his dream, the sickly cows ate the healthy cows indicating that the herds would not be able to survive the famine. The words of the Master Shepherd rang loudly in my ears: “But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The hides of a sheep were often used for hose manufacture, or as leather for shoes. The shepherds have a broad terminology for distinguishing the different colours of sheep. When is it too cold or too wet for the shepherds to sleep outside at night? Do we go before them, constantly reassuring and building confidence because they know our voice? The farmer’s fate is linked to a permanent patch of earth; that’s where his energy and destiny is invested. In fact, much of four out of the five books of Moses tells the unfinished story of a people on a tumultuous journey to their promised land. Hardly the best way to make a good impression. Israeli sheep farmers undertook to tackle this problem by crossbreeding a new kind of sheep. This was brought up earlier in the comments as well. So integral was sheepherding to the identity of Jacob’s children that when they were introduced to Pharaoh—the king of a nation which deified sheep and abhorred those who handled their god—they did not hide the fact that they supervised sheep for a living. Or are we strangers unto many? A night of stars and huddled sheep.You mention the fields and that gleaning of the four corners for the poor, as in Ruth and the deep beauty and significance of this. This article is very special. “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. Reply, complacency Because the king’s vehicle had injured one of the sheep belonging to the old shepherd, he was now entitled to one hundred times its value at maturity. Sheparding is practiced all over Israel by Jews and gentiles; sheep dogs are bred and trained here too, though not everyone uses them. Any avid reader of the Bible or student of early Jewish history will know that tending sheep was the choice profession of many of our nation’s progenitors. Thank you! Then the shepherds come to the enclosure one by one, enter therein, and call forth their sheep—by name.

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