Day Nine - Journey's End

    I didn't think I could write today, but do to bad weather we now have extra time at the airport. Today we looked over the model city and I can't believe all I have learned. Some of the excavations since the model was completed reveal differences in what they built in the model. What amazed me was that I could see what wasn't where I expected based on what I experienced. Here is a wide view of the Model City which is 1:5 scale.  It was created by a Jewish man who wanted his son to understand what Jerusalem was once like.  Someone said that if you didn't see Jerusalem during the time of Herod the Great, you have never seen a beautiful city.  Do you understand what I mean about how grand this Temple was? 

          Next we saw the Dead Sea Scrolls.  I learned a lot about the Essenes.  They lived like monks today.  Like Jesus, they were not happy with the way the Temple was being run and they came to the desert to offer truly holy sacrifices, untainted by the mismanagement of man.  They saw their prayers and dedication to the Word of God as their sacrifice.  We are so blessed with their work and the Dead Sea Scrolls are among the most amazing original works we have.  Some of the pages look as if they could have been written yesterday.  They are truly a miracle.  Jewish practices include ritual washings before approaching the Holy Scriptures.  Allowing Gentiles to visit would bring great problems as we would be unlikely to wash appropriately.  The designer of the museum fixed this by creating a dry bath that all visitors walk through before approaching the sacred writings.  Here we stand getting our bath.

  

We went to Hassada Hospital and saw the Chagall Windows--beautiful!  I loved the one from the Tribe of Benjamin the most--in honor of my son Ben.

Our last place was the Hills of Rachel where Benjamin was born and Rachel's tomb is a holy place.  Only Hebrews are permitted to go to the tomb of Rachel, but I took a picture of this statue to remember my children Rachel and Ben.

  If I had to say two experiences that touched me most they are standing in a cistern turned prison that tradition tells us Jesus was held in before being sent to Pilate, and reading Psalm 88. It was stunning for my soul! The second place was being in the desert at sunset. I always imagined the wilderness as a horrific experience. Now I see that the desert holds treasures. The deer were dancing in the distance.  In the vast emptiness the beauty of God is highlighted.

"Every time there is significant growth in our spiritual development all our relationships change-to God, to ourselves, to other people, and to all creation." Thomas Keating.

Everything has changed for me.

I arrived in Tel Aviv with a Sunset and have come home to America blessed by a beautiful sunrise.