Herzliya

I’m now at IARR in Herzliya and am going to take a break from blogging for a little bit (at least until I return to the States). Our hotel overlooks the Mediterranean Sea so I’ve been attending the conference, and spending my spare time on the beach. Today I played hooky altogether and slept in, resting up before life gets stressful again when I go home. After eating my last falafel pita in Israel (the conference will feed us all day tomorrow) I took a long nap on the beach, then headed back to my hotel room to work on my presentation. After the sunset, I took a long walk on the beach, and swam in the waves. The beaches in Israel are absolutely marvelous at night.

Lots of research ideas and life-thoughts swirling in my head, and hopefully I’ll be able to process enough to share at some point. As much as I love Israel, I’m ready to sleep in my own bed again.

A Conversation Along the Mediterranean

He said, “Walk with Me.”

                So I did.

My feet left a pattern of soft, crunchy indentations along the slick sand.

Fireworks ignited in the distance.

                Then it was quiet.

Nothing, just the sound of foamy waves crashing on the shore, leaving behind a trail of broken shells.

                The sound echoed the torrent swirling within me, disquieting the heart.

“Be still, My love, and have faith. As I calmed the Sea of Galilee, I will calm the storm within you.

So I stopped and offered to Him my tired and ragged heart.

“My grace is sufficient,” He said. “My love for you runs deep.

                “I will cover your wounds and your fears and leave you wanting nothing, fearing nothing.

“Have faith, My love, and trust in Me.”

 “Walk with Me,” He said.

                So I did.

Wednesday: The Wailing Wall

Early morning, we drove to the Wailing Wall and the Temple Mount. The Wailing Wall was such a powerful experience. Dozens of Christians and Jews were praying and crying by the temple. Because the Jews are not allowed onto the Temple Mount, this is the closest they are able to get to the wall. I also said a prayer by the wall, and was completely blown away by how powerful the Spirit was there.

 We then headed to the Temple Mount. Ezra, our tour guide was very bitter about the state of the Temple Mount (He is a non-religious Zionist Jew, whatever that means) and so I’m sure the information he shared with us was more biased that most. Still, it is very tragic that the Muslims built their Temple right over where Solomon’s Temple was buried, and will not let the Jews excavate, even though it may be very likely that the Ark of the Covenant is buried underneath. The Dome of the Rock was beautiful, nonetheless.

Then we walked along the Via Dolorosa, stopping at all of the stations. Most of the road is now overridden with shops, but you can still see the stations marked along the way with little churches and altars marking the significance of the site. We ended at the Holy Sepulchre, where both the cross was raised, and where the tomb of Jesus was believed to be (there is so much debate on that topic, and now people are saying it is unlikely that is the tomb of Jesus).

 Ezra also showed us a little chamber where Queen Helena discovered what she claims to be the cross on which Jesus was hung. That cross is now cut into tiny pieces and transported to different churches across the world.

We walked over the ruins of Cardo, the main street in Jerusalem during Jesus’ time, and went to the Dormition Abbey, where Mary’s tomb is.

We then visited the site of the Last Supper, which coincidentally is right over King David’s tomb. This site is the only site that is important to all three major religions: Christians, Jews, and Muslims, and they actually agree to share.

We then walked over the Mount of Olives (where Jesus ascended) and through the Garden of Gethsemane. There was a church next to the garden and we sat in on some of the most beautiful singing I’ve heard.

Finally, we hopped back on the bus to En Karam, where Elizabeth and Mary met while they were pregnant with John the Baptist and Jesus. Here, my camera ran out of batteries, but I did capture of a wall of prayers written in different languages.

E, A, and I asked to be dropped off at the Old City where we grabbed dinner (hummus and falafel, of course!) We then sat at the Wailing Wall, praying and reading scripture (reading Solomon's dedication for the temple in 1 Kings while sitting in front of the wall was an amazing experience!) until after the sun set. It was an amazing last evening in Jerusalem!

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Tuesday: Early in the morning, we got on the bus with 34 other people (huge group this time) and visited the museum that held the Dead Sea Scrolls. Apparently, the actual scrolls were not on display (surprise, surprise), but the replicas could have fooled me! The museum was beautiful – it was underground, but t was shaped like one of the jars in which the scrolls were found. No pictures were allowed, but I took a picture of the dome covered the museum (a dome that is built to be like the top of the jar).

Afterward, we headed to the Holocaust Museum. It was a really powerful experience, walking through the experiences of the Jews. I’m still trying to process it all. One thing I did notice that really surprised me was how there was still a lot of bitterness towards America’s late involvement in the war, and that bitterness came out very strongly in the museum displays. There was a lot of bitterness against Christianity as well. In some ways, I think these world affairs are a Catch-22 for America. Countries get angry when the US get involved, but then they also get angry when the US doesn’t. There were a few people from Uganda on the trip and we heard them commiserating with our tour guide about how the US didn’t seem to care about their prospective plights. It made me a little bit angry, but at the same time it made me very aware of how sheltered I am in the states.

I mean, I can’t really imagine being an Israeli Jew. You get kicked out of your own land centuries ago and are forced to assimilate into other cultures. Then during World War II, those countries that you’ve assimilated with turn on you and treat you inhumanely and then murder those of your race. When you are finally liberated (albeit orphaned and humiliated), you have to fight tooth and nail to stay on your own land. Most of the world does not recognize you as a nation, and another people group has forbidden you to enter the most sacred place for your people – the only place you believe that God resides in.

I can’t even imagine.

On that sobering note, we drive to Bethlehem, which is actually Palestinean land. We pass through a heavily guarded security checkpoint and enter into the city in which Jesus was born. A church is built over the location, and the church is a source of great conflict between the Greek Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Armenian Church. The Greek Orthodox Church and the Armenian Church share an entrance to the church (a famous entrance, apparently), and the Roman Catholic Church has a separate entrance off to the side. The church was beautiful.

Tunnel leading to the Manger Cave:

The spot where Jesus was born:

Where the manger was located

This is also the church from which the Roman Catholic Church broadcasts their Mass every Christmas.

Old Bethlehem:

This used to be the shepherd's fields - likely where the host of angels appeared to the shepherds:

Spa Day!

Backtrack to Monday:

Today was a very good day for me. After making sure I’ve had downtime between the tours and nighttime activities, I’m feeling like a million bucks! Though I’ve got to stop eating snacks and granola bars instead of real meals – I’m actually starting to pack on the patties here in Israel!

The morning started off with a tour of Masada. When I get back to the States, first thing I’m going to do is to get my hands on either the 90 minute movie, or the 8.5 hour miniseries about Masada. Masada is like the Alamo of the Jews. Except more powerful. Herod originally built and fortified Masada as a citadel. According to our guide Alex, it was a very good investment as the city saved Herod’s life at one point. Apparently, after Herod's death, and when the Romans were conquering Jewish lands, a sect of the Jews took refuge and built a self-sustaining city on top of a mesa in a Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. The inhabitants mastered the art of collecting water, and were able to survive comfortably, planting gardens and even building swimming pools. However, the Romans were able to build a rampart and breach the walls with a battering ram. Rather than surrender to the Romans, the inhabitants of Masada decided to take their own lives. Because suicide was looked down upon in the Jewish culture, ten soldiers killed all the citizens: men, women, and children. The ten then drew lots to choose which soldier would kill the other nine before taking his own life. The inhabitants burned everything except for the food to show the Roman soldiers that their death was not due to a lack of resources.

                                                                                                                                                            

Two women and five children hid in cisterns and lived to tell the tale. In 1963, excavations revealed confirmation of their stories.

We then visited the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. The Qumran Caves was home to a Jewish sect, the Essenes, who basically were an ancient Jewish monastery, if there was such a thing. They placed a lot of focus on purification rituals, and spent long hours copying holy texts on scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of about 900 documents, including the Hebrew Bible, “Apocryphal” manuscripts, and other “Sectarian” manuscripts.

And finally, we got to the part of the trip I was looking forward to the most: The Dead Sea! The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth (in fact, the bar next to it boasted on its sign that it was the “lowest bar” in the world…) and the water contains about 35% salt. The Dead Sea was so salty as opposed to the Red Sea even though they are both fed by the Jordan River is because the Red Sea empties out to another river, while the Dead Sea is landlocked. So water flows in, but water does not flow out. As a result, the only way for the water to exit is through evaporation, leaving all the rich minerals behind. Because so much of the water is being used for tourism, the Dead Sea is slowly drying out; in fact some predict that if nothing is done, the Dead Sea will disappear by 2050!

The Dead Sea REALLY is salty. To float, you sit in the water and lean back. Next thing you know, you are floating on your back. The floor of the sea is slimy mud. I slathered it all over my body and let it wash off as I floated. I can understand why people sell this mud as spa treatments – my skin has never felt so soft! It really is like a day at the spa. One thing I was unprepared for though, is how salty my skin got. A little water splashed on my face and lips (you REALLY have to watch the eyes in the Dead Sea – OUCH!), and as the water dried, it left a film of salt all over me. By the end of my float, my lips were puckered up from all the salt! As Alex said to us – make sure you rinse off thoroughly after the float. Otherwise you will end up like Lot’s wife: a pillar of salt! It was SUCH a great experience!

Back to the hotel we go. Tomorrow we join a new tour guide (on a bona fide tour bus!) who will take us to more Holy sites. Tomorrow is also a holy day in Jerusalem (something about ….?) and so EVERYTHING is closed just like on the Sabbath. 

Thoughts on the Holy Sites

I FINALLY found free Internet again! Anyway...backtrack to Sunday.

When I signed up for an 8 day tour of Israel, I thought that it would be very meaningful to see all the Holy Lands. And don’t get me wrong, the tour has in part been very powerful. But what disappointed me was that above each site is now a church, built to commemorate such a holy event. Not only that, but those who own the property now charge admission prices for sight-seers to view that holy event, and vendors around the site sell goods that capitalizes on the fact that, for example, here was the place Jesus turned water to wine (there were in fact a LOT of wine in the gift shops at Cana).

It all just seems so…irreverent.

The fact of the matter is while it is significant to me what Jesus did in those areas, the event is in the past. And we have just as much access to Jesus anywhere else. I can’t help but feel like the reverence people attach to the Holy Lands is bordering idolatry. But then it could just be that I am in need of a good dose of reverence in my own life.

For me personally, the Holy Lands are a reminder of the nearness of God, and the fact there are still remnants of his corporeal visit on this planet, and that’s about where it ends for me.

That being said, we visited a few places of significance today.

The first site we visited was Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle. The Biblical wedding took place in a house, on top of which today sits a church. We were able to walk downstairs and see remains of the original house as well as some cisterns they were able to recover. It was in cisterns such as the ones we saw that the water was converted to wine.

The second site was Nazareth, specifically the annunciation site where Mary was visited by Gabriel. On top of Mary’s house today is now the largest church in the Middle East. Many countries donated to build that church, including the United States (who now has a LARGE sculpture inside the main sanctuary to evidence its contribution). A smaller altar sites on the first floor, and just behind one of the altars is the entrance to Mary’s house. Mass is held at this church regularly – in fact, we even sat in on the service for a bit and took pictures (which felt fundamentally wrong to me, but hey, when in Rome…er, Nazareth…)

Finally, we went to Beit Shean which was, as Alex describes, the Las Vegas of Roman cities. Back in Old Testament times it was where Saul and his sons were hung after they were killed in battle. During the Roman era, it became one of the flashiest Roman cities. This is one of the major excavation sites in Israel, and only about 5% of the city is currently uncovered. However, Alex was able to give us a tour of the theater, the elaborate bathhouses, some residential areas, outdoor theaters, the amphitheater, and the main street.

I was wondering why I was petering out so quickly lately during the tours. Part of it is touring is hard work, and I’ve been at it for a week in a half. Another part, I found out today, was the temperature was about 110 degrees Fahrenheit…in the shade! Not only that, but we are pretty much below sea level this whole time. After a Falafel lunch, we drove back to Jerusalem where we will be staying in the same hotel for FOUR NIGHTS (!!) (That is a luxury at this point, trust me).  Today marks the halfway point of my time in Israel. Let’s see how the second half of the trip goes!

What I'm learning in Israel

Wow, it certainly is getting more and more difficult to blog everyday. Maybe it's time for a change in blogging pace.

I'm learning a lot about myself on this trip. For example, I had mentioned that my Ayurvedic constitution is heavily Pitta (with a tiny bit of vata). I learned that without adequate downtime, and with the extreme heat, I can easily become Pitta-deranged. Also, Pitta-deranged people do not mix well with Vata-deranged people. I also learned that I love meeting new people and striking up conversations with strangers. However, if I do too much of that, I definitely need my alone time.

From losing my luggage for the first 3 days of my trip, I learned that I prefer to live simply over extravagantly. Although it's nice to have everything with me, I'm a little overwhelmed with the sheer amount that I packed. My baggage is also extremely heavy to cart around. I am going to try to live as simply as possible in my new place when I get back.

I learned from losing my journal that I'm not very good at quiet time. I realized that my time in the Word is spent talking to myself rather than to God. I learned that I'm not very good with intimacy because I find it difficult to be intimate even with God.

As much as I'm enjoying my trip, I'm starting to look forward to moving into my new apartment when I get back to the states. I'm sure a lot of that has little to do with actually missing America, but more to do with missing privacy. Luckily I only have to crash on couches for 3 nights before I move into my own studio.

Anywho, without further ado, here are the sites we visited tonight:

1. Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus did a lot of His preaching

2. Tabgha: where Jesus fed the 5,000. It is believed that He performed that miracle right on the rock below the altar

3. Capernaum: where Jesus did most of His ministry. We also visited Peter's house which lies underneath a church

4. Golan Heights: the site of many battles between the Syrians and the Israelis. Some Old Testament battles also took place here.