We discussed God leading the Israelites to Canaan the long way—not by way of the Philistines but by way of the wilderness of the Sea of Reeds because the former was fortified and, if the Israelites took that way, they might be frightened by war and turn back to Egypt. The way of the Philistines would be up along today’s Gaza coast. We discussed who present-day Palestinians are. R. Sara said they descend from Arab tribes who had lived in the area since the time of Roman Palestina.
