Thousands at Hilula of Yehoshua Bin-Nun

Thousands of people jammed into the Arab village of Kifl Haris Tuesday night, to visit the kever of Yehoshua Bin-Nun on the night of his hilula. Hundreds of IDF troops were on patrol to prevent security incidents. B’chasdei Shamayim, the evening went smoothly, with no unusual events reported.

The date of the hilula – 26 Nisan – has been well-known for centuries (the date appears in the Shulchan Aruch, siman 580), and the location is mentioned in the Tanach itself. The identification of Kifl Haris with the burial site of Timnas Cheres (Serach) mentioned in Sefer Shoftim has been mentioned by travelers going back to pre-medieval times.

Yossi Dagan, head of the Shomron Regional Council, celebrated the large numbers of people who attended the event. “The Jewish people remember their leaders even thousands of years after they pass on,” said Dagan. “We will continue to visit this site, and increase our presence at all the holy sites in Shomron.”