A Sloppy Tour of the Bible

Return To Mecca by Dennis Avi Lipkin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

On the cover of the book is an image of the teffilin with a background of the Kaaba in Mecca. The Kabah is that black square stone that the Muslims circle around 7 times when they make their pilgrimage. The author argues that the teffilin are a replica of the kaabah and that at one time prior to the Israelites leaving Egypt it was a place of extreme spiritual importance. Being one who subscribes to the theory that when the Israelites were wandering the desert for forty years they were not wandering the Sinai Peninsula which was then under Egyptian control. Rather they were wandering around the Arabian Desert. To me it made sense. I mean after all Queen Helena from Rome said that what we call the Mount Sinai in Egypt is the real one based on the flimsiest of pretexts. Jabal El Lawz tends to make more sense. Several authors have written on this subject and their works are much better. In fact this one leaves a lot to be desired.

I was looking for more proof, ore information that would strengthen this thesis that teffilin are in fact a replica of Kaaba and that the Israelites in fact had dwelt in Arabia. While there was good information, most of the book seems to be a cut paste version of the bible onto the book. I already have bible. Don’t need it in this book. Avi Lipkin also has the outlook of a right wing Jews who wants to expand the borders of Israel. He also states that Islam is evil but Muslims are good. He figures if the world capture Mecca and Medina and deIslamifies the Arab world it will be blessing to the Arabs. He call Allah Satan. Sorry bit I am not looking for political tripe and Islam bashing.
Yet there was some good information. Going off the genealogy of Abraham he discusses the family ties between Ishmael, Midianites etc. Jethro was descended from the children of Abraham and Ketura. He was a priest of the Midianites. Avi Lipkin proposes that he made pilgrimages to Kaabah, which is in the collective memories of all the Children of Abraham. Midian could also be another name for Medina. Medina has other names like Yathrib (Sounds lie Yitr0) it is also called Menawarah (Similar to Menorah).
The Muslims circle the Kaabah 7 times while the Jews wrap the leather of the teffilin around their arm 7 times. The Itrureans lived in the Galilee were descended supposedly from the Kenites, ho ere Midianites. The box of teffilin was meant to guide he Jewish people out of Egypt.
One also gets a different historical background derived from other historians like Josephus and Manetho. Some of this jibes with the thesis but then it is interesting how Moses was a military leader who helped conquer Ethiopia and married an Ethiopian woman. Interesting alternative history.

I am going to give this book three stars. Much o I was cutting and pasting verses of the bible. He does have an agenda which is not needed if you are looking for facts. There is some good info out there that can be found elsewhere in better sources.


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