The final day, Oct 8, is called Simchat Torah. It is a joyful celebration of coming to the end of reading the entire Torah Scroll (Genesis to Deuteronomy), rolling it back to the beginning on the same day and beginning again. We went to a celebration in a park to see the dancing.
Here is a little video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z7_bx4h5Zg&feature=g-upl
Sunday afternoon we found location of (not the original building) the Upper Room where Jesus and the disciples ate the Last Supper (Passover Seder)
In the same area is the traditional tomb of King David and the entrance to some caves that mey have been catacombs where beleivers hid during times of persection.
It was here that the symbol "grafted in" was found on the walls. It represents the followers of Jesus (fish) and their Jewish heritage(Menorah and Star of David)
![](http://www.havdalahdrasha.org/img_1240441718_14875_1240606655.gif)
Monday we drove along the Dead Sea to Masada (fortress)
We took the cable car up this time--
------rather than the ancient snake path-the same one used in the first century to get all the stuff up there----look for little people on the trail
During their stay they converted part of the palace into a synagogue in which was found a scroll with the scripture from the prophet Ezekiel describing the resurrection of the nation.
"Dry bones hear the word of the LORD---
I will make breath enter you and you will come to life---
Come from the four winds O breath and breathe into these slain that they amy live--
They say 'our bones are dried up and out hope is gone--'
This is what the sovereign LORD says-
I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them--
I will bring you back to the land of Israel
Ezekiel 37
It is interesting to see the remains of the Roman camps around the base of the mountain, seige walls originally 2 miles long and 6 feet thick, long after the Romans have ceased to exist.
We also revisited Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947. These are among the most famous and important documents ever found, and they confirm the accuracy of the manuscripts from which our modern Bibles are translated. Below is the cave in which they were found.
On the way home, between Jerusalem and Jericho is the Inn of the Good Samaritan. The location is accurate. From a hill across the highway you can see the outskirts of both Jerusalem and Jericho, and the difficult terrain which the road traversed.
Today there is an Ottoman era building houseing a museum of mosaics, but there are no remains of the inn to which the Samaritan took the Jewish man attacked on his way to Jericho.
Tuesday Oct 9 was a Hebrew lesson day, but in the evening we heard the Israel Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta in an amazing performnce of Mahler 5
-too bad they didn't have any paintings to display.
Today was another class, but this time an outing to the Mahane Yehuda (Jewish Camp/market)
Something like Kensington Market only much bigger and selling only produce from Israel. I went with my teacher Reut and after learning all the names of the foods, we bought falafels and went to her house for supper and coffee.
Tomorrrow we leave for the Jesus Trail 60 km hike from Nazareth to Capernaum. We will take the blackberries but not the computers-security and carrying them etc, so our next blog will be after we get back on Oct 17th.
Hi Ruth and Rick. Thank you so much for the journey we are having along with you through your blog. Also, thank you for your deep understanding of the meaning of Sukkot . I just want to add , if I may, about the last 8th day of Sukkot because it is the least understood Feast of the Lord among the nations and I want to share it with those who doesn't know full meaning of it. Actually, Sukkot is a seven-day feast not eight-day(Lev 23:34).Then what is the 8th day ? Biblically Jews call it SHMINI ATZERET. Literally in English it means “ a Stop on the Eighth”. This phrase is from Lev 23:36 but two words in Hebrew “ATZERET HU”(literally “It is a Stop”) are not translated in any language. “SMINI ATZERET –The Stop on Eighth” means that after our complete understanding (seven means completion) of “from where our help comes in our fragile states of life” God is saying to us: ” Please, Stop on Eighth (day) and stay with Me”. That is why SHMINI ATZERET is considered almost separate feast that represents eternity “to Stop and Stay with Him”. Also, this is the last feast or appointed time of the Lord in the Year-cycle (in Hebrew year is SHANAH literally means cycle, “cycle of God’s appointed times”).Then what is the best way for us to Stop and Spend time with God? Jews had the best answer to this question expressed in their tradition: it is to cling to God’s Word. They answered to God’s call “to Stop on Eighth and Spend time with Him” by celebrating His Torah-His Word and start new Year-cycle by reading it again. Jews also called this feast as SIMCHAT TORAH (the Joy of Torah) as an answer to Him to dedicate themselves and cling to His Word. So there are two names for this feast the one(biblical) is for the Call of God the other(traditional) for the answer of the people to the Call.
ReplyDeleteMay God bless you and keep you safe on you trail in the North of Israel.
Yakov
The symbol "grafted in" could be a potential tattoo for you and Dad to commemorate this awesome trip! Get Inked!
ReplyDeleteNice symbol but no tatoos for us. Read Leviticus 19:28
ReplyDelete