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Rabbi YY Jacobson - My Heart Is In the East: The Story Spanish Poet Yehudah Halevi -- Rabbi YY Jacobson

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Author: Rabbi YY Jacobson
Categories: Religion History Creativity & Design
Tags: religion, history, creativity
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 08:52 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Rabbi YY Jacobson presents the poem "Zion, will you not ask after the welfare of your prisoners?" by Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, the poet who wrote "I am in the west but my heart is in the East," as a story of Jewish longing for Zion. The talk places Halevi's life against the backdrop of Jewish history, including the Khazar Empire and the Christian conquest of Spain.

Key Points

  • Halevi, known at the time by his Arabic name Abu Alan Ali, is called the poet laureate of the Jewish people, and his poem is recited on Tisha B'Av.
  • The lecture frames Halevi's poem as expressing love for Zion and hope for the return of Jewish captives.
  • The speaker notes the Christian conquest of Spain was completed in 1492 (with Ferdinand and Isabella defeating the Muslim territories by the mid-1400s), contrasting it with the earlier Jewish world of the Khazar Empire.
  • The Khazar Empire, a powerful Jewish empire (not a nation-state) between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, lasted from roughly the 7th to the 12th century and was later destroyed by Tartars, Vikings, and Genghis Khan.
  • According to the speaker, Halevi's legendary death occurred when he reached Jerusalem, kissed its earth, and was trampled by an Arab horseman while singing his poem.
  • The speaker notes that scholars and historians dismissed this legend, but a treasure discovered in Cairo in 1896 changed how it was viewed.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions: The transcript contains no actionable advice, such as steps, purchases, or methods to follow.
  • The Khazar Empire is described as ruling much of southern Russia, parts of Ukraine, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Crimea, and the mountains, with kings named Manasha, Yosef, and Aharon.
  • The speaker says the Khazar king converted to Judaism in 740, and mentions a fictional novel (referred to as 'Rudi's' novel) depicting conversations leading to that decision.
  • The legend of Halevi's death is presented by the speaker as a tradition received from an old man, and the speaker acknowledges that history is not always kind to legends.
  • The 1896 Cairo discovery is mentioned but not explained in the transcript.

Bottom Line

The lecture uses Halevi's famous poem and legendary death in Jerusalem to illustrate centuries of Jewish longing for Zion, linking that story to the wider history of Jewish communities.