Sunrise over the city of Jerusalem.
- The Dead Sea
- Our first stop was at a former high-society restaurant, but now bombed out, that over looked the Dead Sea. This stop was intended to give us our first tutorial on the Dead Sea and was frankly our, "all time low" for this trip--but only because the Dead Sea is the lowest spot on the face of the earth! We learned that the Dead Sea is receding at a frightening rate and causing major environmental concerns for this region. The Dead Sea boasts a 33% salt concentration as well as 28 other minerals that are mined here.
- Masada
- Perched high on top of a mountain, sits the famous site of Massada. Heralded as Herod's "summer palace," it is probably best known for the last stand of 900 Jewish zealots against a powerful Roman army who would not be outdone. As the history lesson has been passed down, when the Roman soldiers finally broke through the walls of Masada, they found only a few living women and children and learned that all the rest had chosen to die at the hands of their own people, with the last person committing suicide by falling on his own sword. The authenticity of this episode in history continues to debated. While we all took a 3 minute tram ride to the top of Masada, a number of the group took the "snake path" that runs down the back side of Masada --a very rigorous trek!
Wandering through Massada--Herod's "summer palace" and the place where 900 Jewish Zealots held out against the Roman army.
- En Gedi
- Traveling on to En Gedi, we understood why it was called a "place of refuge"--because of the numerous caves high in the hills of this area. It was in one of these caves that David, unnoticed, cut off the corner of Saul's robe. Here in En Gedi, we were struck with the stark contrast between the desert we see all around us and this oasis with vineyards, palms, natural hot springs, streams and waterfalls. It was at the waterfalls that we considered, in a new way, the passages that talk about "living water" and our own "thirst" for God.
Living water: one of the waterfalls in En Gedi.
- Qumran
- Our last stop of the day brought us to the legendary home of the of the Essenes and the location where the first Dead Sea Scrolls were found. The Essenes were a separatist community committed to a monastic lifestyle. These men spent their days studying Torah and most notably, copying scripture. We were able to view the most well known cave--Cave #4--which was thought to contain the scroll of the book of Isaiah.
The famous cave #4 where the scroll of Isaiah was found in a pottery jar.
Learning about the Essenes community at Qumran.
- The Dead Sea
- Laughter was heard everywhere as we found our way into the Dead Sea. Because of the high salt concentration, floating is the only option. But getting through the muddy bottom to the point where we could lay back and float, was no small thing!
Bodies and spirits renewed, we returned to our lovely guesthouse, lively conversation over dinner and a welcomed night of rest after a very full day.
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