Qumran: the history of Jewish Sects

Qumran is a site near the Dead Sea that is believed to have been inhabited by the Essences. Who were the Essenes? After the Second Temple was destroyed, there were different sects of Jews living in the land of Israel. The Essenes strived to live a very isolated and pious life. They lived celibate and refrained from other sensual pleasures in order to devote their lives to study. They also immersed multiple times a day in the mikva (ritual path). Some historian believe this was the roots of Christianity, others call them "the early Hasidim". More about the Essenes can be found by clicking here.

The site is most famous for the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The scrolls are a collection of about 900 documents from the Hebrew Bible found in 11 different caves. They are the oldest surviving biblical documents dating back to the second Temple period. It is interesting to note that the scrolls were discovered between 1947-1956, at a time when the area was under Jordanian control. Because of that, Jews did not have access to the scrolls at the time. The politics, are for another discussion. If you are interested in viewing some of the scrolls from up close, go pay a visit to Kibbutz Almog, not far from the site.

For any history buff or Bible enthusiast, this site is a must see, and its only about an hour away from Jerusalem.

Fun in Eilat with the Yeshiva boys

Last week I went down to Eilat for a few days with the Yeshiva I work for. Eilat feels like Ocean City in Israel. Its a beach town, without a lot of permanent residents. Its a place for Israelis to get away, though it also attracts tourists from abroad. It even has its own airport. It has also historically been a central port for world trade, as it connects Africa, Asia and Europe. For example, when the Japanese want to export their cars to Europe, the bring them to the port of Eilat, drive them through Israel, then pick them up on a boat in Ashkelon.
While it is not contested whether Eilat is part of the Modern state of Israel, there debate as to whether it is really within the borders of the land of Israel. Eilat definitely has biblical significance, it is mentioned in the bible and was conquered by King David. However, it was not inhabited by Jews during the second temple. For Jewish laws specific to Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel), the boarders during the second temple are the basis according most poskim (main authorities in Jewish law) as to where Israel starts and stops.
We went on a 3 day trip. The first day me hiked Mitzpe Ramon, an beautiful hike along a crater in the Negev. We then drove farther south and camped out under the stars. The following morning we got up before dawn to hike Har Shlomo. On a clear day on the peak of Har Shlomo, its possible to see 4 different countries: Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. How many places in the entire world can you see 4 countries at once? We got to the top just after sunrise and said our morning prayers there. Afterwards we drove down to Eilat and rested up at the youth hostel for a couple hours. In the evening we planned a fun activity for them and took them out bowling. The next morning we went out on a boat in the Red Sea and got to have some fun. The Eilat area is a great place to get away, and you dont have to be a beach lover to enjoy it.

Great Tiyul with My Yeshiva

I am currently working as a Madrich at a Yeshiva for post-high school kids from abroad. Last week we went on a wonderful 3 day trip up in the north visiting both the Galil and Golan. There is no question these trips serve as a great supliment to the torah learning they experience during the year. I would say that seeing the beauty of Eretz Yisrael and going to the same locations as some of these historic biblical events serves as a continuation of the learning.
Our journey began in the Galil where we went for a hike in a trail around Barkan. A very beautiful hike, though it was a steep hike. Interesting facts about Mt Barkan include that it was used as post for the Israeli army during the independence war and it has plants from both Mediterranean and steppe regions. We camped out at a park called Zemach, right along the Kinneret. While in the United States the farther north you are, generally the colder the weather, in Israel the temperature is based on elevation. The Kinneret is about 200m below sea level, so the temperature was relatively warm, even though it was November.
We had a brief stop in Tiveria for morning prayers and breakfast. Tiveria is one of the four holy cities in Israel. It is a place where many great Tzadikim are burried, including Rabbis from the Talmud as well as the Rambam (Mamonaidies).
During the day we went on a hike in the Zavitan. We saw the same view that Moses saw when he viewed Eretz Yisrael from the border. Our guide explained that he was able to enter the eastern part of the land but not the west. Zavitan is located just north of the kinneret and is near the Yehudia reserve, and has a beautiful view of a waterfall and a place to swim.
I am never short of amazed at the beauty found in the landscapes in the land of Israel. These great getaways are all within a couple hours drive. Some people connect for to the desert, though I personally have a stronger connection to the lush green of the north.

Tzfat: the city of wind

Last week I went with my tour guide class to the holy city of Tzfat (Safed). Tzfat is the highest point in the Galilee region of Israel. It is one of the four holy cities in the land of Israel. The city was first mentioned in the book of Judges 1:17 "And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they smote the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah". It was mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud on one of the sites where fires where lit, so those outside of the land of Israel would know that when a festival occurs.

From a more personal standpoint, every time I go to Tzfat, I feel a different energy there. There is no place in the world like it. I think this is based on that fact that this is the birthplace of Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism, we're talking real kabbalah of course, not the trendy stuff that Madonna learns) and also complete lack of materialism. Although visitors to Tzfat come from all kinds of backgrounds, almost all of them come for a spiritual experience.

Tzfat began to rise to fame in the late 16th century. During a time when many Sephardi Rabbis moved to Tzfat, and the first Hebrew printing press was made. Many great Jewish works were written including the Shuchan Aruch (code of Jewish law), as well as Lecha Dodi, a hymn sang at synagogues all over the world on Friday night.

Its also interesting to note that until 1948, Jews were a minority of the population. Today, the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics says the population is 99% Jewish. Just be sure the next time you are in the land of Israel to make a trip to Tzfat.

SPNI offers up to date safety information about sites

The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), or in Hebrew Chevrat Chaganat Hateva, offers up to the minute safety and security information for over 10,000 sites in Israel. This would be a great way to not only save yourself from schlepping all the way to a site just to get turned away at the gate, but save your neck (literally). I'm not sure if it is available in English, so I think you would need to know Hebrew to use it. Here is a link (in Hebrew), explaining more about it.

National Lampoon's Israel Vacation

Our Adventures in the Golan

In order to get more experience as a guide, I thought it would be good idea to plan a trip up in north with a few friends. I put in a lot of time carefully planning an itinerary. I decided which sites would be most worthwhile going to, I searched for different hostels in the region, and check rental car websites to find the best deal. I then found out that a friend of ours with a car was interested in going, which made it look even better. This was going to be a great opportunity to spend time with a friend I dont get to see enough, in addition to the money the group would save. It was looking to be a great outing with my friends, in addition to a chance to practice being a tour guide.

Our first set back was when our friend with the car was unable to go due to an injury. So the rest of us decided on what the alternative would be. We could rent a car, or go for places accessible by public transportation. It was determined that it was preferred to save money and go the public transportation route. This required much changing in the itinerary and checking the Israel National Parks website in order to find out which sites were bus accessible. The trip instantly became much more spontaneous.

The first place we ended up going to was Gan Hashlosha, a family water park located near Beit Shean. For reasons of Jewish modesty, I elected to wait outside the park and read a book while my friends went in. We were told by an employee that the park will sometimes accommodate religious groups by arranging separate hours (men only or women only). We found a nearby camp site called Nahal Kibbutzim



Kibbutz Nahal Campgrounds

I was able to go for a quick swim in the beautiful lake that night. I did not feel I had to miss out by not going swimming at the Gan Hashlosha park. When religious observances seem to be a barrier, an alternative can usually be found. This blog is not intended to impose religion, simply to inform the readers about certain issues.

We chose not to lug around sleeping bags with us on the trip, so we essentially just slept on the floor of the tent. It was an unbelievably uncomfortable experience. We were crammed very close to each other. We also pleased the appetite of many mosquitoes.

The next morning we decided to go to see Gamla. We went back into Beit Shean which would serve as a good hub for our traveling. We got information from Egged (the main Israel bus company) that there was a bus that went from Beit Shean to a nearby junction to the park. When the bus arrived, the driver said he is not going there. So it would be more of an adventure to get there. After taking two cabs and a tremp (hebrew word for hitchike), we finally make our way to Gamla.

Gamla is a fabulous site because it offers nature, history and archeology. From the nature standpoint, it has the biggest waterfall in the land of Israel and is a place for seeing vulchers. As far as history, you can see remains from a synagogue tracing back to the time of the second temple. There was a Jewish Community there from 2nd century BCE until 67 CE when it was conquered by the Romans. Whats fascinating about this site is that it went undiscovered for 1,900 years until a young kibbutznik and archeological student named Yitzchaki Gali, told archeologist Shumaya Gutman that he discovered Gamla. After doing some investigation, Gutman found that indeed this was the ancient city of Gamla. This site is right near the Kinneret, just take highway 92 to 869, then make a right at the Dalayot Junction and go north for 2 km.

That was our last destination, though our adventure was far from over. Gamla was located in a rather isolated place, so returning wouldn't be so simple. Our plan was to tremp (hitchhike) to Tiveria and take a bus from there. We saw a Christian tour group from Italy at the park and we asked them where they were going. They said they were going to a place 15 minutes from Tiveria. We had enough chutzpah (audacity) to ask if we could come along for the ride and they said yes. We were confident we could soon find a ride into Tiveria. However, once we got there, this became much more challenging than expected. We waited, and waited, and waited, and only one or two cars stopped, but not the direction we wanted. We were even willing to get a cab, but we had trouble finding a cab. At one point someone advised us to walk about a kilometer to the main highway, because we would have a better chance of catching a ride there. We had been waiting over an hour for a ride, and it was starting to get late. At this point we decided amongst ourselves that we would take a cab even if we cant get him to go under 100 shekels. Not long after that, a car finally stops for us an surely enough, he was going to Tiveria. I told him that he rescued us. He drops us off a short walk from the central bus station, from which were were able to take a bus back to Jerusalem.

This trip was definitely an adventure, and great training for me as a future tour guide. Though I would never take tourists around with hitchhikes, I learned a lot about planning a trip and gained great familiarity with roads in Israel, and familiarity of site locations. In my tour guide class, we have a bus take us around and everything is planned, so I don't normally have to worry about directions or logistics. Many of us learn through doing, and this was a great example. I can't wait until the next time I take people on an outing somewhere in the land of Israel

Ein Carem Region

Yesterday I went hiking with a friend of mine in the Ein Carem, a neighborhood in the Jerusalem Hills, south of the main part of the city. It also surrounds the Hadassa Ein Carem medical center. You can easily arrive there from town by taking either the 12, 19, or 27 bus. When arriving at the medical center go out the front gate an turn right. Then make a quick left on the road that points towards Even Sapir. The trail begins after about 100 meters on your right. By car its located on highway 396. You will begin on the green trails, though afterwards it splits into other trails. Its a beautiful pristine forest region. The green or black trails will lead you to the Sataf park. Sataf park features a water spring, terrace farming and a wine vineyard. A great place to take the family. The Ein Carem region is a great place to get out into nature and escape the hustle and bustle, without having to travel to far.

In addition to the beautiful nature of the region, Ein Carem like many places in Israel, is a place of historical signifance. According to archealogical evidence, there has been settlement in the site as early as 2nd century BCE¹. According to Christian tradition, it is the place where John the Baptist was born.

¹G. Ernest Wright, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 71 [Oct. 1938], pp. 28f