Part 2: The Rest

The rest of my Christmas holiday was a rather odd mixture of Israeli and American.

I went to the post office, which was open on Christmas day, to get the gift my parents sent from America.

I went to the grocery store, also open, to buy ingredients to make Christmas goodies. Like eggnog.

I had friends over and we ate pizza (which is a Christmas Eve tradition in my family) and watched a Christmas movie. And made snowflakes. Which is likely to be the only snow I'll see this year - the temperatures have been quite warm recently.

For Boxing Day a bunch of us got together for the traditional Christmas Day meal and a white elephant gift exchange. It was a day late, but hey, why stand on ceremony?

It was a very different Christmas, but I was blessed to be in this land, at this time, with many friends around.

Part 1: Christmas Eve

This Christmas has been a unique one in many ways. Every year, each Christmas is a little different, but this one is definitely a statistical outlier.

Most of the reason can be wrapped up in the "who" and the "where." While I have been outside of Montana for parts of the Christmas season before, it was rare, and I've never before been outside of the states. More than that, I've never before spent Christmas away from all my family.

This year I spent Christmas in Israel. Ironically, Israel, the place where the first Christmas took place, is rather apathetic at best, hostile at worst, towards Christmas today. In spite of the lack of perceivable Christmas cheer in the air, I was blessed to have several good friends in the area to keep me company over the holidays.

On Christmas Eve (morning) several of us set out from Jerusalem, intent on walking to Bethlehem. Sometimes, in reading the Bible, it is easy to get a distorted view of distances in Israel. Bethlehem is roughly 5 miles south of Jerusalem, and most of that is fairly level, along the "Patriarchal Ridge Route." Walking was in itself quite an experience. We had to go through the check point, and then we walked along the wall for a considerable ways. I've spent very little time in Bethlehem and thus have had little chance to observe the wall. It is a poignant reminder of the distinct lack of peace in this land where the Prince of Peace was born.

We left the wall behind as we ventured deeper into the modern city of Bethlehem. In contrast to most of the rest of the West Bank, the area around Bethlehem still has a large Christian population. Christmas decorations were found in abundance, as well as shops blaring Christmas music in various languages. It was not really what I had expected. One would think, in an area so important in religion, that one would find religious expressions of celebration. It was in fact, rather western and secular. The blaring songs, while recognizably Christmasy in flavor, rarely mentioned Christ. The decorations, while again, festive, focused on Santa (or occasionally Dora the Explorer). And, to top it off, the Christmas cards we got from the Palestinian police had swords and the Dome of the Rock on them (wishing us a Merry Christmas 2010).

We watched several scout troops parading, most of the with flags, bagpipes, and drums. They reminded me that we were not in America, which was good.

When the parade had finished we went up to Manger Square. We sat outside the Church of the Nativity for a while and ate lunch. We went inside for a brief time. The line to see the groto area was excessively long (and most of us had already seen it) so we skipped that part.

After exiting the church, we set out to find Shepherd's Field, in Beit Sahour. I had never been there before, but apparently there are two locations and churches that commemorate the site where the angels appeared to the shepherds. We wound up at the Greek Orthodox site. The Shepherds, if this was indeed their field, unfortunately left no trace of their shepherding. There were some fun Byzantine ruins and caves to explore, along with a nice little chapel. It was quiet and park-like and did overlook some fields, so it had a nice feel to it, removed from the chaos of modern Bethlehem. I got to read the story in Luke 2 to the rest of the group as we looked out over the fields.

From there we made the trek home. We were all fairly tired at this point, and the way to Bethlehem was all up hill, so we caught a bus which took us most of the way back to Manger Square. From there we walked to the check point where most of us caught a bus back to Jerusalem.

By the time I got home it was nearly dark, but the day wasn't over. I had agreed to go with Emily to the house of a family she knew for Christmas Eve dinner. It was good to meet more Americans in the land, and I had a chance to play with their children. I suppose it made up a little for not being able to have any of my little cousins around for the holiday.

When I got home for that I worked on preparing some food for Christmas morning...and then I went to church.

The service at St. Andrew's Scottish Presbyterian Church started at 11:15. I found some people there that I knew and sat by them. It was a nice service. The Christmas carols were interesting. Most of them I knew the words...or the tune...or both...but not necessarily together. We ended up singing "O Come, all Ye Faithful" to the tune of "Angels we have heard on high," which is not as easy as it might sound. The church seems to often sing songs to different tunes, so I'm not quite sure if it's a Scottish thing, or if it's specific to the church, or if it's occasionally organist error. Then we sang "Silent Night," except the translation was quite unlike what I've always heard in America. That in itself was quite interesting. Then there were lots of people, most of the whispering to each other in Hebrew throughout the service. I'm fairly certain some of them were there either out of curiosity or as part of a school assignment.

Jewish Teacher: B'seder, students, your assignment this weekend is to visit one of those crazy Christian churches for one of their Christmas services.

Student: Are you sure we'll be safe? They're crazy!

Teacher: Yes, crazy, but mostly harmless. They'll just sing Christmas Carols and talk about peace, joy, and love.

Student: Christmas Carols? What are those?

Teacher: Oh, they're songs that they sing once a year that no one knows the second verse to. But they'll pretend!

Student: Why do they do this?

Teacher: Beats me! Christians are just strange like that. But make sure you pay special attention and take notes. I want you to write down your impression and turn them in first thing Sunday morning.

Student: How long do they have to be?

Teacher: I DON'T CARE.*

*Note: This last statement is a verbatim quote from an actual Jewish professor of mine when asked a similar question.

When the service ended it was Christmas Day...which will have to wait for the next post.

Update

For those of you who might be interested in day to day happenings in my life, here's a few things I've experienced in the last month or so:

1. One flatmate had 7 family members visiting, all of whom stayed with us for about a week in November. Crowded, but fun.

2. I went on a 3 day excursion to the Jezreel Valley...

3. Where I found my "Christmas Stick"...it was almost like a Christmas tree hunt at home...but not really.

4. Almost everyone on campus went off to Egypt for 8 days.

5. I finished my last paper (on Angels in Classical Rabbinic Literature) of the semester.

6. I set up and decorated the fake tree that previous inhabitants had left in my flat. It's still not as cool as the Christmas Stick, which was decorated by a friend, but it's festive.

7. We had a Christmas Party for the remaining JUCers who weren't in Egypt. We played Christmas music and ate Christmas cookies and drank chai. And then we played "Signs."

8. Everyone came back from Egypt, only to leave again, this time for home, within the next 24 hours. So, many good-byes were said.

9. A flatmate tried to go home, flying standby, but instead showed back up at home at 4 am with two other passengers who were not allowed on the plane. A few days later and they still haven't managed to get on a flight. Hopefully tomorrow!

10. After a series of calls, I finally found someone who could fix our washing machine, and he finally came today, and it finally works again. Thus, I finally have clean underwear! Semper ubi sub ubi, as my students used to say.

11. I paid a bill today (at the post office, of course, were all bills are paid) and took my depressed not-yet-home flatmate to get some coffee beans in hopes of increasing the cheeriness quotient of the house.

12. Our surprise guests took us to see "Avatar" tonight. With no comment on the plot or intended messages of the movie, it was beautiful, and the 3D effect was well done.

13. First day of winter! And also the warmest day I've experienced here for about a month.

14. Other guests are expected to show up Wednesday morning. Lots of chances to practice hospitality!

15. Christmas is coming...but here in the "Holy Land" life goes by, pretty much as usual. It will be an interesting Christmas.

Memory and Scholarship

Recently, a friend and I decided that we needed to memorize scripture, so we started working on a couple passages together. The first passage that I chose to memorize was 2 Corinthians 10:3-7.

Though I memorized it in the NKJV, I'm giving the NASB translation here, as I think it connects verse 7 to the rest of the passage better:

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ's, so also are we.

I am by no means prepared to give an expository sermon on these verses, but when I read through them the other day I was struck by possible applications to the world of academics in which I currently find myself.

I will admit right now that I like logic. I like starting with reasonable premises and coming to appropriate conclusions. I think that reasoning and logic are given by God, to be used properly, to help us discern truth and understand better the world around us. On the other hand, I also think that sometimes logic can be a "weapon of the flesh." This is especially obvious in the world of academia where religion, the Bible, anything supernatural are all rejected in the name of "logic" and "critical thinking."

These verses remind me that logic will only take us so far and it can, in the end, prove to be a false mistress. As Christians in the academic world it is far to easy to trust in our own flawed reasoning and abandon the truth found in the Bible when logic offers contradictions. We must learn to value the knowledge of God above all, and bring thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ - even logical thoughts. This is my challenge, this is my goal.

There's no place like...

...the Middle East.

Proof: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1135516.html.

Little Town of Bethlehem

For many Christians a mention of the "little town of Bethlehem" will bring to mind nostalgic images of manger scenes, shepherds, starry nights, and, ironically, maybe even snow.

Mention Bethlehem here in Israel and very different images come to mind. Refugee camps, razor wire, concrete walls, and checkpoints are among the first things that come up. Especially the wall.

Tonight I went to the "world permier" showing of the movie Little Town of Bethlehem by EMG films. The movie follows three men, a Palestinian Christian, a Palestinian Muslim, and an Israeli Jew, as they talk about the conflict in Bethlehem (where the two Palestinians live) and their pursuit of a non-violent solution. It is aimed at a more American audience, but because it takes place here and was filmed here, the world premier of the movie is here. It was interesting to hear the Israelis and Palestinians who attended the showing comment on it afterwards. It was an interesting film, and they had some very valid comments, both supporting and criticizing the film.

While I don't want to spend lots of time talking about the issues presented by the movie and the comments afterward, I do want to encourage other Christians to not forget the modern Bethlehem as they celebrate events in the ancient Bethlehem this Christmas season. Remember our brothers and sister (there is even now a large Christian population there) who have lived under oppression their whole lives. I don't want to make a statement about whether Israel is right or wrong in its actions towards the Palestinians, but the fact is that life is not easy for them. Remember them and pray for them as some start to try to stem the tide of violence and as they yearn for peace.

Favorite Christmas Carols

Everyone has one. Mine just happens to be one that is utterly unknown by your average college student.

So here's an introduction to what is, if not my very favorite carol, at least in my top 5 or so. I don't know the second song they sing, so feel free to skip it if you like. On the other hand, they have a beautiful sound, so why not enjoy it?

And to aid in your enjoyment, here are the lyrics.

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright, she bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True Man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.

The verdict is in...

We, the members of the jury, find Alana guilty of missing teaching.

It's true. I was thinking the other day about how I hate learning all these cool things, and then having no one to tell about it. That may be part of the reason I blog so much - it's about the only instructive-type-outlet I have.

So, while I still have no idea what the future may hold after, oh, about May, actually, I must admit, I hope it includes teaching, in some form or another.

Israeli Food

I have come to realize that, since coming to Israel, my whole outlook on food has changed. My likes and dislikes have changed, my "staple" foods have shifted...It's partly because of the foods available and normally eaten here, and partly because of the other American people I'm around. Nonetheless, there have been changes.

Following are three very loosely organized lists:

1. Foods I was introduced to here in Israel. These are foods that, to the best of my knowledge, I never had before coming here, for whatever reason.

2. Foods I have come to like/love. This list includes foods that I liked before coming here but have learned to like even more, as well as foods that I previously disliked.

3. Foods that have become a staple. This includes foods that I perhaps more or less familiar with before coming here that have become a main part of my diet, either because I love them so much or because they are so readily available.

Foods I was introduced to:

Falafel - Ahh...the amazing fried chickpea burger...how I love thee!

Shwarma - I think I prefer falafel, but still amazing

Caramelized Onions - I really am not sure how I managed to avoid ever having these before Israel, but these could almost be in the third list. Here at HaShum we eat them with almost everything. I personally had them with two meals, just today.

Quinoa - Really, this is a South American thing, but somehow I learned about it here. Good source of protein, especially considering the scarcity of meat at my place.

Kohlrabi - Weird vegetable...but not bad.

Coconut Milk - Having never cooked with this before, I am still in awe of its amazingness...and need to do more experimentation with it soon.

Foods I have come to like/love:

Sage - In America I always liked sage in things like stuffing or chicken noodle soup. Here, the Bedouin put it in tea. I LOVE sage in tea.

Cilantro - I'm not sure how I managed to avoid using fresh cilantro until this year, but that seems to be the case. I don't think I was quite introduced to it here, but I have definitely come to love it more, in a variety of dishes, since my arrival.

Olives - I've always like the black, American-style of olive, but the green or the more bitter black olives were more problematic for me. At school last semester there were often olives in the dishes...and being too lazy to pick them out, I just ate them, and so began to be able to stand them. This year a couple of my flatmates love olives...so I've continued eating them...and I think I've come to actually like them...at least pretty close. I even ate some by choice on our field study this weekend!

Cucumbers - I find it hard to believe that until about a year ago, I never liked cucumbers. I avoided them like the plague. Here they are so readily available, and so tasty (compared to what's usually available in the states), it's almost silly to avoid eating them. They could fit in my third list.

Tomatoes - Similar story to the cucumbers. I grew up generally disliking tomatoes. Here, I eat the little ones like candy.

Sweet Potatoes - I still don't think I'm a fan of the whole "candied yam" thing with marshmallows and all that... But I have come to appreciate sweet potatoes in other dishes, like this recipe of Aubrey's, which also includes caramelized onions.

Lentils - I still don't use these all that often, but I like them a lot, and they're very common here.

Foods that have become a staple:

Pita - This may surprise you if the only pita you've ever had is the dry, gross, store-bought variety found in the states. That's nothing compared to the fresh, warm, soft pita you can buy daily on the streets of Israel. Hardly a day goes by where I don't have a pita or two.

Hummus - Ah, hummus (or chumus?)... What would pita be without good hummus? Again, hard to find good hummus in the States...but here, it's amazing.

Peppers - I liked peppers a lot before coming here...but here, the bell peppers are so cheap, so beautiful, so amazing...Yeah, they're pretty much a staple.

I'm sure there are other foods that have changed my life...but I'll stick with these for now.

Jezreel Valley

This weekend was the much anticipated Regional Explorations Field study! The nine of us in the class, one spouse, our bus driver, and Dr. Wright spent 3 days exploring the far reaches of the Jezreel valley. This class is almost the pinnacle of our studies in the historical geography program. The seminar next semester is the real pinnacle, but this prepares us for that. We spend the class basically learning how to research various topics and issues in historical geography, and then putting together coherent presentations on what we learn. This trip was our final.

For those of you who know nothing of the Jezreel valley, let me give a brief introduction.

Well, I'll attempt to be brief. It might not work.

I have to start with Israel. In the history of the world, the region that we now call the middle east has played a huge role. I think it is fair to say that almost all "world empires" that have arisen have vied for control over as much of the "middle east" as they could grab. Many of these empires even originate in the middle east. Israel was never really one of these empires, but the land of Israel was always fought over. This is because Israel (and to some extent Jordan) contain the best routes for getting from one area of the middle east to another. In days when airplanes didn't exist and boats were rudimentary at best, land routes were all there was. There were various routes that could be used, depending on your purposes and where you were headed, but in the end, most of the routes ended up going through the Jezreel Valley.

The Jezreel Valley is a roughly arrow shaped valley in Israel, north of Samaria, but south of Galilee. It is surrounded by various hills and mountain ranges, but there are 7 passes in and out of the valley: Jokneam, Kishon, Shimron/Shimon, Tabor, Harod, Dothan, and Megiddo. Since there are 9 people in our class we added the Nazareth Ridge and the Acco Plain and we were each assigned one to research and present our findings at two sites in or related to our regions. Here's a map of the region. The green flags are sites we visited, the balloons are other important sites that we saw but didn't stop at. The purple lines are approximations of the routes we talked about, and the red line is the boundary of the West Bank.

Rather that detail exactly everything we saw and talked about (and probably bore you to death) I'm going to include a number of pictures from the weekend to give you a taste of some of the things we saw.

Climbing up the tell of Jokneam. The road you see is coming from the Jokneam pass and heading off into the Kishon pass.

Here are all the girls in the class, sitting on a random couch on top of Helkath.

Today's "Rushing Torrent of the Kishon."

Party time at Acco! Probably part of Eid-ul-Adham.

Sunset at Acco.

One of the crazy little fish jumping all over at Acco.

We stopped briefly at a possible location for En Dor (the little mound right in front of Mt. Tabor).

On top of Mount Tabor (traditional site of the Transfiguration).

Coming down the road from Tabor...hoping not to die! :)

Starting to feel like spring in the Jezreel valley - green grass and flowers!

Sun shines through the clouds as we look at the valley from the top of the Nazareth Ridge.

Sunset by Hannathon.

The Harod Spring, of Gideon fame.

My site on Mt. Gilboa, from where we could see (almost) into the Dothan Pass.

More flowers!

When we got lost a little man appeared to point the way. (How do we go up??)

The forest of Gilboa reminded me of Montana. I even found a Christmas "tree" to bring home!

Our wonderful class and professor (and Mindy!) on Megiddo.

Finding firewood on a hill by Megiddo...which also reminded me of Montana.

Last "site" of the trip, looking at Gath-Padalla and the entrance to the Dothan Pass.

Hopefully this gives you a taste of some of the things I got to see over the weekend - both educationally valuable and beautiful.

One Year Ago

It's been a year since my Grandmother went home to be with Jesus. (Technically a year and a day, but what with time changes and communication breakdowns, I didn't hear of her death until the next day, so I choose to remember it today.)

As I think about her life and her death, especially in conjunction with the Thanksgiving season, I am reminded of how much I have to be thankful for.

I am thankful for a godly grandmother who strove to raise godly children and then in turn encouraged and supported them as they worked to raise their children. What a legacy to leave! I am thankful that she is no longer in pain, but is home, rejoicing in the presence of her savior. I am thankful that someday I will see her again.

I am thankful for my amazing family (most of whom were directly impacted by my Grandmother). We all live so far apart, but that makes the short times we have together so much more special. Too often I take them for granted, but I'm pretty sure that I have the best family ever.

I am thankful for the friends I've made at JUC over the past year who have made being away from home and family a little easier.

I am thankful for this opportunity to study in Israel for two years. I have learned so much. It has truly been a life-changing experience.

God is good. Whatever our lot, in life or death, pain or pleasure, God is good.

Western Wall Tunnels, Part 3

I should premise this post with a bit of a disclaimer. These issues are ones that I've thought about a lot since coming to Israel. They keep coming up. However, I am still learning and processing my thoughts on the subject, so this will be simply a writing out of some of those preliminary thoughts with the inclusion of some thoughts from other people.

The previous two postings should prompt us to ask, as Christians, what should our view of the Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock be? What should our reaction be?

Currently, there are numerous different views on the subject, but I think they can be grouped loosely under two headings: those who believe Christ will return as the world slowly gets better and those who believe Christ will return after the apocalypse. The former group isn't all that concerned with the temple, so this post will focus on the later group.

Of course, everyone in Christianity longs for the return of Christ and many are constantly looking for ways to hasten that return. If the apocalypse must proceed the return, then some conclude that we must hasten the apocalypse. If that should indeed be our goal, then the Temple Mount is a brilliant place to start. Current beliefs about eschatology in modern evangelicalism generally require the presence of a Jewish Temple for the end of days. If said temple is to be built, most likely the Dome of the Rock will have to go. Indeed, several 'Christians' have already attempted such destructions, with less than brilliant results, as you can imagine. Other, more moderate Christians, wouldn't go quite that far. Instead they focus on helping Jews prepare to build a third temple, donating money, assisting in the breeding of a red heifer, etc. They would probably still support the destruction of the Dome, but they aren't quite ready to effect it themselves. Other Christians are even more passive when it comes to the Third Temple - they are excited at the thought that it might be built someday, but are content to let it take care of itself.

Muslims, of course, are not terrible excited by Christian support for Jewish temple, at any level.

What do Jews think? That is a question with an interesting answer. The Jews who are preparing to build the temple generally seem to welcome support. They'll take the money and not care about the source. However, this does not mean that they like Christians, or that other Jews/Israelis like Christians because of our support. America has supported Israel for a long time, largely based upon a strong Christian bias in favor of Israel. After all, in their eschatology, Israel's existence is a necessary precursor to The End and Christ's return. However, this very reason for our support of Israel and of their temple is what makes them a little leery of our goodwill. Think about it for a minute:

Christian: "Hey, I want to help you build your temple!"

Jew: "Um, well, that's kinda weird, but nice, I guess. Why do you care?"
Christian: "Well, you see, the Antichrist can't be revealed as the Antichrist unless there is a temple for him to defile."

Jew: "So...you want me to build a temple so it can be defiled?"

Christian: "...um...."

Jew: "Okay, well, we'll let that go for the moment. Why is this Antichrist guy so important anyway?"

Christian: "Oh, well, see, after he defiles the temple he's going to persecute and almost destroy the Jewish people."

Jew: "So now you want me to build a temple so my people can be annihilated?"

Christian: "Well, almost annihilated. But then Christ will return and bring world peace!"

Jew: "I suppose that would be nice, but I don't believe in your Christ so that doesn't give me much hope. Basically it sounds like you are helping to hasten me towards doom. I think I could do without that sort of support, thanks."

Of course, as Christians, we look to the promise from Romans 11:26 "all Israel will be saved" and trust that somehow the end will bring about the ultimate redemption of Israel. We must understand, though, that this is not how it looks to the Jews, especially considering the historical persecution they received from Christians.

This does not automatically mean that we should not support the building of a temple, but it is something to consider.

Perhaps this would be a good point to consider what the Bible says that Christians ARE supposed to be doing on earth. After all, we were given a bunch of specific jobs. For example:

1. Matthew 28:19 tells us to make disciples of all nations.

2. Hebrews 12:14 tells us to pursue peace with all men

These are the first two things that came to mind, and they are themes repeated throughout the Bible. If we stop with only these two commands, several problems with our support of the temple are already clear.

To start with the command to make disciples, we have already discussed the attitudes of both Muslims and Jews towards Christian support of a Third Temple. Basically, it doesn't seem to be drawing them in, making them desire to be Christians. In our desire to hasten the end of the world, we seem to have forgotten what we are actually supposed to be doing. In addition, it could be argued from Matthew 24:14 ("And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.") that the one hint we are given about how to hasten the end has far more to do with making disciples than with building a temple.

The second command is equally problematic. If we truly want peace in the Middle East, it must be recognized that building a temple in Jerusalem is not going to do the trick. It's more likely to spark a third world war. Some might argue that the peace will not come until after the war. That may be, but even if so, I don't think it is our job to start a war in pursuit of peace. Ultimately, peace will only come through change hearts, and Jesus Christ is the only one I know who can change hearts. If we really want to pursue peace, evangelism and discipleship are our best bet.

This is, of course, not an exhaustive treatment of the subject at hand, but it is long enough to start. As always, I welcome relevant comments, insights, and questions. :)

Western Wall Tunnels, Part 2

The people who run the tunnels are, perhaps, a bit biased, a quality rarely found in Jerusalem. (Yes, that was sarcasm. Everyone in Jerusalem is biased. Especially when it comes to this small piece of real estate.) The tunnels are, of course, run by Jews, Jews who would probably favor the building of a third temple, should that ever become possible. While this is probably a common desire in Judaism, it is by no means universal, even among religious Jews. For example, my professor, Rabbi Moshe, is very uncomfortable with the idea of a third temple, and with the political and religious stance of the people who run the tunnel, with good reason, I think. In Classical Rabbinical Literature, the temple and cult system have been replaced by prayer and Torah study. This was done out of necessity - after 70AD there was no temple, nor any hope of rebuilding one, and if Judaism was to survive, changes had to be made. Of course, the changes made, though pragmatic, were backed up with arguments typical of the religious leaders of that day. Verses like Hosea 6:6 "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." and Micah 6:6-8 were referenced, pointing out a theme that played throughout the Hebrew Scriptures: God never desired the sacrifice alone, His real concern was the heart behind the sacrifice. Other Rabbis argued that revelation was progressive: God first asked Israel to offer sacrifices to Him because they would have sacrificed to something. Then, once the faith had progressed and the One True God was known, sacrifices were no longer needed and worship of God changed as the Temple was destroyed.

Thus, for some Jews at least, the temple is no longer necessary, or even desirable, especially considering the current political situation.

It has to be faced. The Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock is a hot spot. Jews and Christians are after it, Muslims control it, and at the slightest hint of a change in the status quo, everyone is up in arms. This fall the situation has been tense, with Muslims taking what we might consider relatively minor issues as a huge threat. Rocks are thrown, Israeli police are sent in, Muslims get even more worried...It can be a vicious cycle. For Jews who truly want peace in a world where the very breath of a rumor about a temple can spark another intifada, there is little incentive to want a third temple.

I think I will save further comments for another blog post. For now, here are some pictures and explanations of what we actually saw on our field study.

Here Rabbi Moshe shows us a model of the hill upon which the mount was built, both before the platform and with the platform. Right now a very disproportionate Second Temple is on the platform.

Here is another model of the Temple Mount. There is again a disproportionate Second Temple model on top of the mount (probably due to the pro-temple bias of the organization). The western wall can be seen, with the plaza and buildings that are along it today.

Here we are, walking through a tunnel along part of the platform wall. You can see on my right part of a very large Herodian stone. I don't have the exact figures, but I believe the largest of these stones weighed around 600 tons. How such a stone could even be moved, especially with the technology of the first century is beyond my imagination.

These are candles lit in the area which is "opposite the foundation stone and the site of the Holy of Holies." There is a synagogue in this tunnel complex, but apparently only men are allowed in, so the women pray in this area.

Back outside the walls I got a picture of the plaza. (The Dome of the Rock is on top of the plaza, off the left side of the picture.)

Here's a view of the area at night, from sort of a south-west direction.

Western Wall Tunnels, Part 1

This last Thursday evening I went, with my Rabbinical Thought and Literature class and our professor Rabbi Moshe, to the Western Wall Tunnels. For those of you unfamiliar with this site, let me give you some background information.

You will doubtless remember from long forgotten Sunday school lessons, that David (and Joab) conquered Jebus (Jerusalem) and made it his capital. (Hint: for a refresher, see 1 Chronicles 11.) This is the area today known as "The City of David," on the Eastern Hill, located between the Kidron Valley and the Cheese-maker's Valley. Of course you also remember the story a little later of the plague that God sent on Israel that stopped when David offered sacrifices on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (2 Samuel 24). Keep in mind that threshing floors are high points, and the closest high point to Jerusalem was directly north (the upper part of the Eastern Hill). Add to this 2 Chronicles 3:1 ("Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.") and we have the beginning of our story in the beginning of the temple. The majority view is that Solomon's temple (the first temple) was built due north of the City of David, under the area where the Dome of the Rock is now.

Of course, between Solomon's time and our own there are dozens of layers of history. The first temple was destroyed by the army of Nebuchadnezzar in 586BC. It was rebuilt ("Second Temple") by Ezra, and was finished about 516BC.

Then Herod the Great came along and decided that temple needed improvement. It was, perhaps, the most ambitious building project he ever undertook: it wasn't finished until 60AD, over 60 years after Herod's death. It was, at least, a stunning complex of buildings when finished, one of the wonders of the ancient world. However, in the planning stages, Herod was not content to merely use what nature had supplied. No. The hill upon which the current temple stood was not big enough for the grandiose structure he desired to erect. So he began by expanding the hill, fashioning vaults and filling in earth, creating a platform grand enough to hold a glorious temple.

That temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Today, all the remains is the platform, upon which the Dome of the Rock now sits. The only piece of the original hill that is still visible is the rock inside the dome, from whence it draws its name.

(Note: at this point I should mention that there is still some amount of scholarly debate over where the temple actually was, and if the structure which is today called "The Temple Mount" ever actually held the temple. However, the case stated above seems to be the majority view, so for the sake of this blog post, we'll assume they are correct.)

I suppose it is reasonable that the Jews would revere the platform upon which their most holy site had stood, but why the Western wall (which, by the way, they never called "The Wailing Wall")? The answer, of course, lies in classical rabbinic literature: "The Shekinah is in the west." Probably because the Holy of Holies would have been on the western side of the structure, the western wall of the structure is now the most revered.

Which brings me (finally) to the tunnels. When the Jews first gained control of Old Jerusalem and the Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock area in 1967, one of the first things they did was bulldoze an area west of the Western Wall, giving Jews the opportunity (and the room) to visit the wall for the first time in years. However, they only cleared a relatively small area, compared to the length of the wall. The tunnels start just north of that plaza and continue on, exploring the extent of Herod platform, under the modern homes and places of business of the people of the Arab Quarter. Parts of these tunnels are open to tourists (by appointment) and that's where we went.

Now that you have enough background information, I'm going to pause for the night and continue these thoughts in a second post tomorrow.

Welcome to my life!

So, I happened to watch an episode of Top Chef where their challenge was to make a meal for 300 airmen, with the supplies and kitchen equipment on the base, and I thought, "Welcome to my world." That's pretty much what I do daily at camp. Except with a lower budget, less equipment, fewer people, and less cumulative experience on my side. Most of the challenges they compete in I wouldn't even know where to begin, but with this one, well, I could relate.

In other news, I recently found out about a site with a number of online books. I haven't read much for fun for a long time, and they had some shorter books that I'd been wanting to read, so in the last couple days I've read Manalive! by G. K. Chesterton and Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse, both of which I recommend, for very different reasons. Here is one quote from each, respectively, which made me laugh.

"Imprudent marriages!" roared Michael. "And pray where in earth or heaven are there any prudent marriages? Might as well talk about prudent suicides.

Jeeves: "Yes, sir. Each time he endeavours to formulate a proposal of marriage, his courage fails him."

Wooster: "And yet, if he wants this female to be his wife, he's got to say so, what? I mean, only civil to mention it."

Jeeves: "Precisely, sir."

Today is a good day.

So far, at least.

Mostly because I finally got the package that my amazing former roommate (Katie) sent me. So, Katie, here's a shout-out to you! :)

Here's all the loot. :)

Here's me, testing out the loot.

And here are the two of us, BMW's that we are! :)

Love you, Katie!

A Day in the Life of a JUC Grad Student

Disclaimer: While all of these events are unlikely to occur on any ONE given day, they are things that I am likely to see or experience at any given time.

1. Walking to school in the rain. Up hill. Both ways. Not even exaggerating. Oh how I hope it snows this winter!

2. Night-time field studies to the Israel Museum. This includes

a. Catching a taxi near the school with three other people, trying to haggle for a decent price, and hopefully managing to end up at the Israel Museum by 6pm

b. Once the whole class trickles in, in groups of four, entering the museum (at least the part that is open) and the proceeding to stand and/or sit outside for well over an hour. Fortunately it had stopped raining. Still cold.

c. Looking at the Second Temple period model of Jerusalem. It is a pretty sweet model, I have to say.

d. Reading about odd Rabbinical-type-people. Like Choni the circle-drawer. Or about the disagreements of Shammai and Hillel.

e. Sitting inside in warm, comfortable chairs, and watching an interesting movie about the community at Qumran. And by interesting I don't really mean "informative" but more "rather odd."

f. Going inside the Shrine of the Book and seeing artifacts from Qumran, including several Dead Sea Scroll fragments.

g. Trying to catch another taxi home...walking to the bottom of the hill to try to find one that will give us a better price...and saving maybe 12 NIS in the end, in exchange for walking further.

h. Gathering my things from school, and then walking home. Up hill. At least it wasn't raining, and the walk did warm me up.

3. Playing board games as part of my upper level graduate class...

...Yeah, I suppose I should explain this. For this week, we were each assigned a country or region (Edom, Moab, Ammon, Syria, Phoenicia, Israel, Judah, Philistia, and (my region) the raiders of the Greater Negev). We were to research sort of the political and economic type pressures and desires of our area during the 9th century BC. What was their resource base? What were they trying to gain? Who were they trying to trade with? Who would be natural enemies and who would be natural allies? All that sort of thing. In class we laid things out on the map and talked about what DID happen during the 9th century and why, as well as what COULD have happened (and maybe did happen during a different time period).

4. Watching beautiful sunsets from the roof of a building built on the remains of a tower from the Hasmonean period.

5. Trying to take care of and keep track of several visitors coming and going and coming again in my flat...and also trying to keep track of the coming and going of my flatmates.

6. Cooking. Lots of cooking. Including experimenting with new-to-me foods, such as quinoa and kohlrabi.

And that's all for tonight! Tune in next week for more adventures in the life of a JUC Grad Student! *cue music*

The View from Afar

Though I have never claimed to be the most informed citizen, occasionally I do still keep up with random doing in the States, though friends, family, internet, podcasts, etc. For the most part I can still understand and relate to what is going on, but every now and something strikes a foreign note and I think, "Oh, I'd forgotten about that!" Or "What, that's going on there?"

Perhaps the thing that struck me most recently is the occurrence of fall and Halloween, neither of which has put in an appearance over here. I read the comics far more often than I read news stories, and they are full of pumpkins and costumes, candy and fallen leaves. It rather surprises me to remember that all this is a part of daily life over there right now, and then to realize that I don't really miss it. Technically speaking, I do miss fall a lot. Halloween is not a holiday whose absence I'll mourn, though. Today we were talking about all the money that people spend on Halloween and the skanky costumes women seem to find so necessary. Yeah, I don't miss that. I rather appreciate the generally conservative dress standards here.

I also suppose that Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations are out with vengeance, ensuring that people will be sufficiently (materially) prepared for these holidays months in advance. This is the second year that I've missed those preparatory months…and I don't really miss them. At least not that part of them.

It's very odd, but the culture I grew up in is slowly becoming slightly more foreign to me. Come to think of it, I never did fit into that culture all that well to begin with. I'm going to be a REALLY ODD DUCK once I arrive back "home." Consider yourself warned, months in advance.

Reflections on past thoughts

Though it's been a while since I've posted much of anything here, it's not from lack of thought. It may be from lack of coherent thought, but I'll try to lay some of my more recent thoughts in order here, for your viewing pleasure.

One thing I've been reflecting on is how much coming here has changed me. For example:

The other day I was reflecting on the time, 11 years ago this month, when I came to Jerusalem for the first time.

I remember visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and one of the members of our group was yelled at by a priest because he supposed his picture had been taken. Looking back, that seems so bizarre. I have since been to the church, numerous times, with numerous people and numerous cameras and have never had any similar incidents. I think it must have been just a fluke - the priest there that day, who was probably also a tourist, was just extra sensitive about pictures or something. I remember that we as a group were a little freaked out about it, though, wondering if that was the norm, wanting not to do anything wrong.

We were so naive, both in our daringness and in our caution. Some of the things we avoided doing out of caution were just as crazy as some of the things we did out of ignorance. Of course, that was pre-intifada. Some things have changed in Jerusalem since then. Nevertheless, it amuses me to remember some of my thoughts from that time.

For another example, the other day I asked one of my friends who started in the master's program here at the same time I did, "Do you ever think about what an idiot you were?" Realizing quickly that it probably wasn't the most tactful question, I started to back-track and explain. Fortunately, he realized what I was getting at and a terrible misunderstanding was avoided. The thing is, looking back, I remember all sorts of little thoughts and expectation and ideas that I had about the world and Israel and even higher education, and slowly but surely, those ideas have been almost imperceptibly changed. Yet looking back, the change is dramatic. Ideas of what is safe and what isn't have been revised as experience has informed my knowledge. Experiences that were once new and strange have become part of daily life. Which is not to say that I feel utterly independent and capable of living here indefinitely, but I am closer.

In a similar way, it's interesting to talk to the semester students or other people who arrived here a relatively short time ago. I hear some of the thoughts that I used to think about Israel coming out of their mouth. I myself have only been here about a year, but that has been long enough to dramatically change the way I think, in some areas at least. I consider my past self rather naive, and I daresay that if I continue to stay here, my future self will think the same of my present self. So, every now and then, when I hear some of the semester students talking, I sort of shake my head and smile to myself and wonder at Dr. Wright's and Diane's great patience in putting up with the same stupid questions and actions semester after semester. I'm grateful for it, though.

I suppose this sort of process always happens when one goes to a foreign country. At first everything is new and exciting (or frightening), but after a year or two, things start to settle into a (hopefully) more proper perspective.

I wonder, though, if in some ways this process is more painfully obvious in the holy land. The people who come here are not generally of the sort who travel to learn about food and culture and see the scenery in a different land. That may be part of the package, but most tourists come here for a religious reason, a pilgrimage, more or less. I won't speak for Jews or Muslims or even orthodox Christians, but most Protestants seem to come feeling that they have a knowledge about and connection to the land, something like "This is the place where Jesus lived and I've studied Jesus all my life so I should know something about it." There is an impossibility of separating the land of Israel from the theology of the visitor. While this is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, it can often lead to erroneous views being passionately propounded. Rather than taking the time to sit and listen and learn about the land from the inhabitants (as I assume one would do in any other country one visited) people tend to take hard and fast stands, such as: "Israel has the right to exist and should push all the Palestinians out," or "Israel is an oppressive government and the Palestinians deserve their own country," or "No one in the Orthodox Church can possibly be actually saved," or "Of course Archaeology proves/disproves [you choose] the Bible!" for a few examples. Armed with these and other immutable ideas, evangelicals descend upon the "Holy Land" and wreak all sorts of havoc. It doesn't help that no matter what inflexible stance someone takes, there will be someone here with a stance that is diametrically opposed, possibly even in the same tour group.

To my shame, such opinions may have not differed so very much from my own not long ago. If nothing else, my time here has emphasized to me the importance of listening to all sides of a story before forming an opinion, and, even once some sort opinion has been formed, to be very careful, tactful, and reasonable in expressing it. I don't wish to imply that it is wrong to ever take a stand, but there are times when it is wiser to be slow to decide.

The Shuk

Today I went to the big Jerusalem shuk (open air market) for the first time, which is rather sad, considering how long I've lived here. It was about time.

So this morning I headed off with my friend Anna. It's a bit of a walk, though not too bad. I'm still working on putting the city together in my mind, so it helped. I need to get out more.

I rather enjoyed the shuk itself. All sorts of colorful displays of fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, nuts, grains...whatever you could want.

...occasionally birds also take advantage of the spread.

Generally priced cheaper than anywhere else in the city. As we had just gotten groceries for our flat yesterday I didn't buy much. Just oatmeal, beans, and some pita. (We kind of eat a lot of pita here.) I did get to watch Anna buy all sorts of goodies, though. I rather like the atmosphere. Ironically, not at all like Walmart.

One place also had some really cool fruits that neither Anna nor I recognized. They looked sort of like pink and green artichokes. After googling it, I discovered that they are "Dragon Fruits" or "Pitaya." They look tasty.

Thus ends the tale of my shuk trip.

Heart, we will...stand and wait

Just for fun, here are two poems I have come to enjoy for various reasons and in various ways over the years.


Sonnet 19: On His Blindness
John Milton

When I consider how my light is spent,
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest He returning chide,
'Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?'
I fondly ask. But patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, 'God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts. Who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly: thousands at his bidding speed,
And post o'er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait.'

Heart, We Will Forget Him!
Emily Dickinson

Heart, we will forget him!
You and I, tonight!
You may forget the warmth he gave,
I will forget the light.

When you have done, pray tell me
That I my thoughts may dim;
Haste! lest while you're lagging.
I may remember him!

Diaspora Museum

This last Friday I went on a field study for my "History of the Jews in the Medieval and Modern Periods." We went to the Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv. We spent a good 4 hours there, and probably would have stayed longer if they hadn't been closing early because of Sukkot.

To summarize, the museum looks at various aspects of life for Jews in the diaspora and attempts to answer the question of how they remained essentially Jewish, in spite of 2000 years separated not only from their homeland, but also from each other as they were spread across the globe. They put the answer into 6 "Gateways," which, if I remember correctly were:

1. The Life cycle (birth, circumcision, education, bar mitzvah, marriage, etc.) and the the yearly cycle (Rosh Hashannah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, etc.)

2. Communities, separate from the peoples with whom they dwelt, including their own governmental structures.

3. Remembering (both persecution and accomplishments)

4. Faith (and places faith is expressed)

5. Culture, as anchored in language

6. Among the Nations (and their history as connected to some of the places they were dispersed)

The museum finished with one final gate:

7. The Gate of Return

It was an interesting museum, different because it had very few real artifacts, but many imitations to assist it in the story it told.

Here are a few pictures from the museum:

The Hebrew in the back ground has the heading "Lo Tov" (no good) and clearly the scene in the foreground is that of a wedding. Not to fear, though. The conclusion is not that marriage is not good, but rather that "it is not good for man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18)

In the "Faith" gateway they had a number of model synagogues from all over the world. This first one is from Florence, Italy.

And this one is Chinese.

These two statues are called Ecclesia and Synagoga and I'm sure you can guess what the represent.

Such is the picture of Judaism under 'Christian' rule.

This next picture is an illustration of a passage from the Talmud "If two grasp a garment."

A menorah near the end of the museum - Welcome back to Israel!

After the museum closed we ate some lunch in the Sukkah. Then we went to Old Jaffa for a little while and just explored. If nothing else, the water the is beautiful.

It was a good trip. I got to hang out with my sister AND learn a lot about Judaism and the history of the Jewish people. I'm only auditing the class, but I'm looking forward to learning all sorts of things in there this semester.

Day Four: The final conquest

There's nothing quite like a bible, a journal, and hot chocolate on a beautiful Galilee morning, Adventurer #3 decided.

Nothing quite like playing in the cool waters and having a small fire of coals.

Unfortunately, the peacefulness couldn't last forever. The activities of the last day of the adventure beckoned, and after breakfast and another dip in the lake, the adventurers rose to meet the days challenges.

The first leg of their journey went around the lake and to the top of Mt. Arbel where they would have had a spectacular view of the lake region, if the air had been clearer. Undaunted, they climbed down the cliff and explored the caves that had sheltered Jewish rebels during the time of Herod the Great.

After climbing back up they made their way to Tiberias where some members of the team were nearly vanquished by a shwarma...and eggplant.

Though the danger was mortal, their lives were miraculously preserved and they spent some small time exploring the water front.

Cramming themselves into their minute vehicle once more, they journeyed to one more crusader out-post, Belvoir. Once there they managed to procure some armor for this, their final assault upon a castle.

From the armory they proceeded to the art gallery where they posed with a holy heart.

The assault on the castle itself was brief, but bitterly fought. In the skirmish the moat monsters took possession of Adventurer #4 and held her for ransom for most of the rest of their time at the castle. The rest of the explorers considered the inside of the castle and admired the spectacular view of the Jordan Valley that could be seen from that height.

All too soon it was time to get back in the now beloved car for the last leg of the journey home. As the adventurers drove down the Jordan valley they caught sight of the full moon rising over the Jordanian hills across the way and paused to savor the moment with the last of the Druze apples.

Even adventures must come to an end, or at least a transition point. The five adventurers, blessed with friendship and memories, transitioned back into the adventure of daily life in Israel.