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Israel Study Tour with Joshua Wilderness Institute
April 8-20, 2018
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From Jerusalem to Bethlehem
Hi, we are in Israel and today was a good day. Sadly this morning we did not get to sleep in and so we got up at 6:15 and we went to breakfast. After breakfast we had a devotional that was lead by Amy. Since it was the Memorial of all the fallen soldiers of the Israel army, Amy talked about remembering the things that God has done for us. After that we hopped on the bus and traversed our way to the Temple Mount. It was a cool site and we had to be extra modest for the Temple Mount because the rules are strict and they only allow certain types of clothes on the Mount. It was huge place and it was super holy. We got to see the Dome of the Rock and it was an octagon. It was built in the 600’s and has a rock in it that the prophet Mohomad supposedly ascended to heaven off of.
After our time at the Temple In Jerusalem we headed to the Western Wall and took a little tour of the underground tunnels in the area of the mount structure. There was a scaled version of the Temple Mount and we saw how big the wall actually was from the bottom and it’s quite massive. The tunnels were super long and we walked down them and at the end we learned about how the temple was built.
Rabbinic Tunnels
The tour of the western wall tunnels is one of the most popular tourist sites in Jerusalem. These underground tunnels connect the western wall prayer area to the north-west side of the temple mount, passing along the side of the temple mount and under the present day houses in the Old City. Along its path are remains from the second temple period, as well as structures from later periods.
The largest rock in the Temple Mount is 570 tons and it was cool to see how they used pulleys and ox’s to move the rocks into place. After we came out of the tunnels the girls and guys split up to take an actual look at the Western Wall. It was crazy but also disheartening to see all of the people at the wall. It was disheartening because more than half of the people were tourists, and the Israelis who were actually trying to pray were constantly interrupted by tourists shoving their way into the wall to take photos of themselves.
Western Wall
The Western Wall is the most holy place accessible to the Jewish people because of Muslim control of the Temple Mount. Known in recent centuries as the “Wailing Wall,” this was built by Herod the Great as the retaining wall of the Temple Mount complex. The plaza was created as an area for prayer when Israel captured the Old City in 1967. At times tens of thousands of people gather here for prayer.
We saw many Israelis sit patiently to pray until the tourists walked away and there was space for them. At the same time though, it was very beautiful to see how committed people are to their faith. People would come up to the wall and pray for what seemed like ages, rocking back and forth, and being completely confident in what they were doing. After we left the wall, we ate lunch which was so good! We then took a short hike up to Herodium which was very cool. Herod was very extravagant and seeing even the ruins of his palace were impressive.
Herodium
Herodium is 3 miles southeast of Bethlehem and 8 miles south of Jerusalem. Its summit is 2,460 feet above sea level.
Herod built or re-built eleven fortresses. This one he constructed on the location of his victory over Antigonus in 40 BC.
After that we headed to Bethlehem and we also picked up a new tour guide because Ronen was Israeli and could not enter since Bethlehem is controlled by Palestine. We went to the church of Nativity and it was a Greek Orthodox Church and we stood in line to see a very holy place, and that was the place that Jesus was born, or at least where it is assumed to be. It was quiet and a holy site. We then went to a Roman Catholic Church and saw that and it was pretty cool. We then walked back to the bus and went to a souvenir shop to buy things for our families. It was a unique shop that had a lot of pretty carvings that were good quality. The Store offered many options and the students chose to buy different things for their families. After shopping for a while, we hopped on the bus and went back to the hotel where we chilled for the rest of the night.
-Nick and Priscilla and Will
Bethlehem
Biblical scholars believe Bethlehem, located in the "hill country" of Judah, may be the same as the Biblical Ephrath which means "fertile", as there is a reference to it in the Book of Micah as Bethlehem Ephratah.[17] The Bible also calls it Beth-Lehem Judah,and the New Testament describes it as the "City of David". It is first mentioned in the Bible as the place where the matriarch Rachel died and was buried "by the wayside" (Gen. 48:7). Rachel's Tomb, the traditional grave site, stands at the entrance to Bethlehem. According to the Book of Ruth, the valley to the east is where Ruth of Moab gleaned the fields and returned to town with Naomi. It was the home of Jesse, father of King David of Israel, and the site of David's anointment by the prophet Samuel. It was from the well of Bethlehem that three of his warriors brought him water when he was hiding in the cave of Adullam.
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