September 08, 2026

The Man With The Baskets

Redemption will come only if their guide tells them, "You see that arch from the Roman period? It's not important: but next to it, left and down a bit, there sits a man who's bought fruit and vegetables for his family."

Yehuda Amichai wrote 'Tourists' in Jerusalem, a city where every stone seems to outrank the people walking past it. In the poem, a guide points past the poet, who stands nearby with his shopping baskets, to direct visitors' eyes toward a Roman arch instead. Amichai answers with a vision of redemption in which the guide corrects himself and points instead at the man who bought food for his family. It reframes contribution: the quiet daily act of providing for the people you love outweighs any monument built to be admired.