DAY 11 (DAY 6 OF ISRAEL TOUR) – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25: MASADA, EIN GEDI, QUMRAN, WILDERNESS OF JUDAH, JERUSALEM
The entire day today was spent in the Judean Desert. We even encountered some unusual weather (a brief heavy and cool rain shower at Ein Gedi). However, most of the day was partly sunny and warm, with highs in the 70s. We read from Ezekiel 47 and Zechariah 14 (about the Dead Sea) as we began the day.
Masada
After breakfast and checkout, our drive from Al Mog to Masada took about 50 minutes. Masada was one of the palace-fortresses built by Herod the Great. We all took the cable car up. Once on top we saw Herod’s palaces, the synagogue, casemate wall, and bathhouse. Remarkably, 967 Jews found refuge from the Romans here between 70-73 AD. All by 5 took their own lives to spare them from falling to the Roman sword. For all Israelis today, Masada represents both courage and honor.
Ein Gedi
We drove about 20 minutes north to Ein Gedi. This is one of only a few natural springs in this region. The weather was ominous here, with dark clouds and winds. We were only allowed to walk back to the first water falls. We read from Song of Songs 1, 2 Chronicles 20 (“Habu l-Adonia ki tov, ke le-olam hasdo…Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His mercy/love endures forever.”), and 1 Samuel 24. This was where David hid from Saul. David retreated to there “stronghold” (perhaps the undeveloped site of Masada).
Qumran
The sky cleared once we drove to Qumran. In 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were found here. Some 903 fragments of texts, both sectarian (of the Essenes) and biblical texts, were found between 1952-1956. We saw many ritual baths (mikveh), cisterns, the scriptorium, and a few of the caves where the scrolls were found. In front of Cave 4, we read from “Psalm 151” and Psalm 19.
“There is a beauty about the Judean Desert that is hard to explain. It is a very rugged place, yet the color of the rocks, the formations of the cliffs, and the green floor of winter grasses in places make it unique. It was incredible to see the monastery built directly into the cliff too.”
Judean Desert / Wadi Qelt
We drove into Jericho again to have lunch. We then began our ascent towards Jerusalem. We made two stops overlooking the Judean Desert (Wadi Qelt). We heard Isaiah 40 read, and Psalm 23 sung. Close by we drove to overlook the St. George Greek Orthodox Monastery built into the cliff of the desert. Some hiked down to see the monastery. The climb back up was challenging.
We drove the rest of the way to Jerusalem where we checked into our hotel and enjoyed a wonderful “Shabbat” dinner. Some walked to the Western Wall. It rained during the walk and is supposed to rain much of the day tomorrow.
DAY 12 (DAY 7 OF ISRAEL TOUR) – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26: MT. OF OLIVES, GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE, POOL OF BETHESDA, GARDEN TOMB, HOLY SEPULCHER CHURCH, ISRAEL MUSEUM
