From the Galilee to Jerusalem

Shalom! We began the day with prayers. The hotel management provided us with a Torah to use, even though they are Orthodox and we're liberal and egalitarian. I'm proud of them for not letting their own religious standards prevent us from worshipping as we see fit. I don't think this would be the case everywhere in the Orthodox world. Here we are reading the Torah:





Today we toured Kibbutz Lavi, a religious Zionist communal settlement established in 1949. We stayed in their modern hotel, one of the kibbutz businesses, for the past two nights. Although the kibbutz system is shrinking, Kibbutz Lavi is thriving. One explanation is that Kibbutz Lavi has diversified its enterprises, which were once purely agricultural. Today, in addition to growing fruits and vegetables, producing milk, raising beef cattle and operating the hotel, Kibbutz Lavi is one of the leading producers of synagogue furniture. In fact, I learned today that the sanctuary seating at Temple Beth Rishon, where I'm interning, was made in Kibbutz Lavi. Here's a photo, taken in the furniture factory, of a computer-controlled machine that is used to cut and drill curved wooden chair parts acccording to specific patterns:

Next we drove to the ruins of Tzippori, also in the Galilee, where scholars believe that the Mishnah was completed, around the year 200 CE, by Rabbi Judah ha Nasi and his disciples. This ancient town, famous for its intricate mosaics, showed evidence of both Egyptian and Roman influence. The synagogue's mosaics depict the Temple service, the symbols of the months and seasons -- reflecting Judaism's unique hybrid lunar and solar calendar -- and the Biblical story of the binding of Isaac, which we will be studying in Jerusalem, near the site where the event is said to have taken place. Here's an example of the synagogue mosaics

From Tzippori, we headed south on Israel's main national highway towards Jerusalem. On our way, we passed through part of the West Bank and saw some very good looking Arab towns. I wonder how many Arab countries have homes for average people of the quality that we saw today. We also saw part of the security fence which divides most of the West Bank from Israel. While many people complain about this barrier, I understand that it has reduced the number of suicide bombing attacks on Israeli citizens.

As we approached Jerusalem, we sang Shir ha Ma-alot (Psalm 126) which begins "When God restored the habitation of Zion, we were like dreamers...Those who sow with tears will reap in joy..." When we arrived at the top of Mt. Scopus, home of Hadassah Hospital and Hebrew University, we got out of the bus and looked out at the Old City. We finished singing "Jerusalem of Gold", which we had started on the bus, and then sang the Shehecheyanu prayer, with which we bless God for keeping us alive and enabling us to reach the special moments in our lives.

Here's the view of Jerusalem's Old City, as we first saw it:

We shared a bottle of grape juice, recited the blessing and thought about tomorrow morning, when we will recite our morning prayers at the Kotel, the Western Wall, visit the ancient City of David and explore the inside of King Hezekiah's water tunnel.