Warren Day 5-7

It has been a few days since we have had effective internet access. Here is an update on our progress.

We slept in Zvat. Zvat is a small mountain town that has a rich history. It is known for study of Kabalah. (Jewish mysticism.) It is a heap of large stones packed together to form buildings and synagogues. In this place of amazing spiritual meditation, Lee and I spent most of our time shopping. In our defense, the city is also an artist’s colony and the galleries are a major source of revenue for this small town. We must have walked into at least a hundred shops and they all had unique little items. We did our part to support their economy. We also got a chance to visit a cheese factory.

It is now Wednesday, and my father’s birthday. (Happy Birthday dad!!!) We traveled first east and then south to Tiberias. It is near the southern tip of the Kinerett (Sea of Galillee) on the west side. We dropped our stuff off at the very nice little place we are staying for the next couple nights. We went exploring and drove to Sephoria (Zippori). There are historic ruins there of a city. It is famous for its water system and the amazing mosaics. There are ruins that date back to the time of the first temple and this spot has a rich Jewish history. It became the capital of Galilee and is mentioned multiple times in the Talmud and much of the writings that led to the Talmud originated there. In looking at the mosaics, there are many references to Roman theology. The researchers wonder if Jews put such mosaics in their homes because it was the style of the time. Another interesting element was the presence of very old olive trees around the entire area of the ruins.

We made a quick side trip to Nazareth. I would like to say that we had some deep meditative reason for going there. Really, I wanted to go to the Halavah factory. We had great Falafal, but we couldn’t find the factory….alas!! I am still complaining about it.

I spoke with Ben a few minutes ago and he is having fun in Mississippi. He is helping cook and doing dishes. If you are reading this from anywhere near Tupelo, go visit the Bistro on Main and have something he made!

As I am sitting here writing, I’m looking at a sweeping panoramic that includes the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee. It is a nice perch from which to contemplate the history that we have been absorbing over the past few days. This is the land of Abraham. The places we have seen are places that I have heard about on Saturday mornings throughout my life. I can’t say that it has provided me a religious epiphany, but it is really stimulating to have the words come to life!!!

We have now transitioned to a really nice little restaurant that sits on a wharf. We are watching the large fish consume our leftover pita. We are considering tossing other items into the water, but I don’t thing the fish will eat the beer mugs…..

It is early Friday morning. I just awoke. The roosters are calling…the mosquitoes are biting! Being near the Sea of Galilee, the mosquitoes are pretty abundant.

Yesterday, we got up early and traveled up the east side of the Sea of Galilee to Qazrin which is an ancient city, and again had great Talmudic importance. The structures were of hewn stone and fit together so well that they are still around today. We saw the wine press and the olive press. There is an ancient synagogue there too. We watched a movie at the Archeological Museum in Qazrin about the fall of Gamla. The Romans defeated the little hill top community, but the residents did not make it easy. It was such a tough battle that the Romans issued a coin depicting the Jews being supplicated by the Roman military.

We traveled further north to the area of Israel that sits between Jordan and Syria. We stopped to go rafting down the Jordan river. The guide told us that we could swim for the first bit of the journey, but after that we had to watch out for big frogs! We didn’t see any big frogs lurking in the water, but we didn’t take any chances!!! I did notice that some of the oars were damaged….were they frog bites? Lee thinks that the guy was actually talking about rocks.

We also had a chance to go up to the shoe factory at Naot-Mordechai. Cool shoes! Naot and Source sandals.

We proceeded further north and hired a guide who took us up through the Golan. The area is beautiful. There are hills on either side of the Jordan river and then further north, there are mountains. The guide explained the water supplies to Israel from the mountains to the north. He also explained some of the interesting changes that are taking place on the modern-day Kibbutz. A Kibbutz is a communal village. He explained that people were taking advantage of the resources without working to generate profits, so many of them went belly up. He told us that they have now gone to a system of individual reward for labor. The housing is still free. If the people who live there work, they receive money. If they do not, they don’t.

At last, a call to prayer. It is Friday afternoon and we have arrived at the Dead Sea. We have now been in Israel just over a week. We have been to some of the most holy of places in the Jewish religion, and I have not had a religious epiphany until today. As we drove down from The Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, we traveled through the West Bank which is a Palestinian area. Lee was a bit nervous, was driving and was in a hurry to get through. As she passed a bus on a blind curve and another car decided to make a left behind the bus, I experienced religion in a new way. Perhaps that is why this is such a religious region. Perhaps the true drive for spiritual intervention and guidance is really a call for better driving. We are now at the hotel, I have changed my drawers and can resume my fairly secular life.