Shabbat

After arriving in Jerusalem late in the afternoon on Friday, we checked into our hotel and watched from our high-rise hotel room as traffic dwindled to nothing. It was Shabbat and everything closes down as we found out with elevators that stopped at every floor so you wouldn't have to "work" by pushing a button and cappucinos couldn't be made as a lever would have to be pulled or a button depressed.

So, Saturday, May 5, we boarded our bus and headed east towards the Dead Sea leaving Jerusalem to its Shabbat slumber.


The Dead Sea - The sun glistens off of a salt lake that is 32% minerals.


Our first stop was at Masada, the ancient desert fortress of Herod the Great which was occupied by Zealots as Rome sacked Jerusalem, and where they held out against the Roman legions for three years before commiting mass suicide as the Romans siege ramp allowed a final conquest.

About half of us decided to hike to the top of Masada, rather than take the perfectly good Swiss tram. With an elevation climb of about 900' and desert temperatures, I struggled to make it up in an hour (I think I worried our executive pastor if I was going to make it all) while a few young guys ran up the steep and stair lined path in about 20 minutes!


After lunch and my two minute ride on a camel around the parking lot for $2, we drove to an overlook which gave us a view of Ein Gedi, the oasis that David retreated to while being pursued by Saul and his men. Then it was on to Kumran and the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a bedouin boy in 1947.

We finished our Dead Sea adventures with a "swim" or rather a float in the Dead Sea. A pastoral directive was made that everyone who hadn't been there before had to try it. Mud was slathered on as a beauty aid and we floated high in the water while reading the Jerusalem Post. Just don't get any of the water in your eyes or mouth!