Heading South on Tuesday

This morning we got up very early to pack our bags. We ended our four days in the Nazareth and Galilee region to head south to the Dead Sea region. After dropping off our guide, Fr. Kamal for a business meeting outside of Jerusalem, we met our guide for the day, Joseph and headed for the ancient fortress of Masada. Originally built as a palace by King Herod the Great around 30 BCE, the mountain fortress is most famous for the Jewish rebels who holed up there in the face of a siege by more than 10,000 Roman soldiers. Finally, on a night in 73 CE (about three years after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple), the Romans set the garrison doors on fire and, with the fortress defenseless, decided to wait until the morning to attack. That night, however, seeing their fate as a choice between slavery to the Romans and a dignified end, they chose to murder their wives and children and then drew lots to see who among the ten leaders


would kill the other nine and then lay on his own sword. When the Romans entered the fortress the next morning, they were surprised to find everyone dead. There are three ways to get to the top of the mountain: by a modern cable car that was new when Debbie and I took it in 2009; by walking up the path that leads to the fortress, which takes about an hour and a half; or walking up the ramp built by the Romans, which takes about half an hour. Lest there be any doubt, we took the cable car.

Our next stop was to drive north along the Dead Sea to Qumran, site of the discovery of the
Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946. The scrolls were discovered when a Bedouin shepherd boy threw a rock to encourage a straying sheep to return, and when the rock went into a cave, he heard a strange sound. Investigation revealed the presence of scrolls stored in clay jars in what would be a series of 11 caves. Excavation of the caves has uncovered over 970 manuscripts or portions of manuscripts from the Hebrew Bible, the inter-testamental writings (known as the Apocrypha), and a number of documents that tell of the rules of life established by the Qumran community. Above is a picture of the ruins of the living quarters of the community.

We ate lunch at the cafeteria at Qumran and then took the 10-minute ride to the Dead Sea, where those who wished changed into bathing suits and floated in the Dead Sea. It is over 1300 feet below sea level, and at its deepest is another 1200 feet deep. You cannot swim in it because the water is 29% minerals. The water is so rich in minerals that it cannot support life (thus the name!), but at the bottom is a rich mud that is said to have healing qualities. So those of us who went in all rubbed ourselves with the mud, let it dry, and then washed it off. Your skin feels so smooth from all the minerals.


While I was floating in the Dead Sea, I had an important spiritual reflection. Even as the waves buffeted me ar0und a bit on the surface, I knew it was impossible for me to sink. It made me reflect on St. Peter's experience when he left the boat to meet Jesus on the Sea of Galilee -- he actually DID walk on the water until he perceived fear -- and then he started sinking. I had this wonderful image of God buoying me up through all of the struggles of life. What would happen if I really turned my life over to God? I guess that's why what we do is called "faith . . ."

Tomorrow is a free day for us, with an evening dinner party at the Jericho home of our tour operator, Iyad Qumri. I plan to hang out and read part of The Lemon Tree in preparation for dinner with Dalia Landau on Thursday evening. You are having much hotter weather than we are right now, and the evenings are always cool here with a nice breeze that always comes up around 3:15 or so. Stay cool! Shalom, Salaam and Peace, don