I have discovered there are many ways and many reasons to come to Israel. Yesterday, on the plane we sat in front of a Jewish couple. They, apparently with many others, were traveling to visit family. This couple was bringing their 18 month old daughter to see grandparents. Older adults were excited to be greeted by family in the baggage claim area. It was lovely to witness their family reunions, even though I had no idea of what it might mean for them. Undoubtedly, visiting this Holy Land meant more to them than just seeing the sights.
As we walked around the Old City of Jerusalem this morning, we saw several different tour groups. The tourists were from different countries and spoke different languages but it was obvious that they were part of an organized tour, some even wearing matching hats with the company logo. Other tourists fill the market place and are targets for all the shop owners to try and sell their wares. A myriad of enticing artisan goods are for sale as wonderful souvenirs of a once in a lifetime trip.
In a couple of days, classes begin for my two weeks of study. Along with adjusting to the time change, Kirk and I are finishing up our homework with a new appreciation for what those maps actually mean now that we are here. We are looking forward to learning as much as we can and putting real geography to the dots on the maps.
As I write this, I hear the call to prayer from the Dome of the Rock. the Mosque marking the site where it is said that the prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven. Last night, we visited the Western (Wailing) Wall as Sabbath began for the many Jews gathered for worship. This morning I watched as men and women knelt to touch the rocks in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the church said to be built on the site of Calvary. This city, where all three Abrahamic faiths converge (Muslim, Jewish, and Christian) is most certainly the place where people have come for thousands of years as pilgrims on religious journeys. It is impossible to not be moved by what it must mean for pilgrims of all faiths to walk the rocky paths.
Visitor, tourist, student, pilgrim - all of those seem to me to be meaningful ways to come to Israel. And, I sense all of them to be true for me. Each has its own significance and yet I most look forward to this pilgrimage. Shalom.
As we walked around the Old City of Jerusalem this morning, we saw several different tour groups. The tourists were from different countries and spoke different languages but it was obvious that they were part of an organized tour, some even wearing matching hats with the company logo. Other tourists fill the market place and are targets for all the shop owners to try and sell their wares. A myriad of enticing artisan goods are for sale as wonderful souvenirs of a once in a lifetime trip.
In a couple of days, classes begin for my two weeks of study. Along with adjusting to the time change, Kirk and I are finishing up our homework with a new appreciation for what those maps actually mean now that we are here. We are looking forward to learning as much as we can and putting real geography to the dots on the maps.
As I write this, I hear the call to prayer from the Dome of the Rock. the Mosque marking the site where it is said that the prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven. Last night, we visited the Western (Wailing) Wall as Sabbath began for the many Jews gathered for worship. This morning I watched as men and women knelt to touch the rocks in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the church said to be built on the site of Calvary. This city, where all three Abrahamic faiths converge (Muslim, Jewish, and Christian) is most certainly the place where people have come for thousands of years as pilgrims on religious journeys. It is impossible to not be moved by what it must mean for pilgrims of all faiths to walk the rocky paths.
Visitor, tourist, student, pilgrim - all of those seem to me to be meaningful ways to come to Israel. And, I sense all of them to be true for me. Each has its own significance and yet I most look forward to this pilgrimage. Shalom.
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