Day 08 - Jerusalem: Temple Mount, Western Wall, Rabbinic Tunnels, City of David, Hezekiah's Tunnel, Bethlehem

It was a busy day for the Rocky Peak pilgrims as we spent our first day in Jerusalem. Our intrepid driver Meir wound his way thru the packed and narrow streets of Jerusalem. We arrived at the Dung Gate where once upon a time the trash of the city was dumped. Not long after we entered, the audible sounds from the Wailing Wall could be heard as the morning crowd gathered to offer their prayers at what remains of their temple after its final destruction in 70 A.D.

Mt. Moriah. Biblical Mt. Zion. The temple Solomon built, the temple the Israelites built after returning from exile; the temple Herod the Great rebuilt; and now the Dome of the Rock. The massive golden dome shone in the cold morning light. We marveled in awe at the work of art that stood on the spot where Abraham offered his son Isaac for sacrifice and where tradition says that the creation of the world began.

We stood on holy ground.

We were given an opportunity to visit the Wailing Wall, to touch it, to offer our own prayers. Watching as person after person bowed their heads, whispered their prayers, their heads and hands touching the wall; as they diligently searched for an empty crevice in which to place their written prayers, created an atmosphere that was deeply sacred and spiritually moving.

After lunch, our group split up and some of us braved the .85 mile trek that was Hezekiah's Tunnel. We sloshed through cold water that first hit around our thighs then settled around our ankles. We wound our way through, sometimes having to turn sideways or stooping deeply to avoid hitting our heads on the low ceilings until we found daylight. We exited at the Pools of Siloam where Jesus healed a blind man (John 9).

Entering Bethlehem was an experience in and of itself. Meir showed off his outstanding driving skills on the Palestinian streets before safely dropping us off at Johnny’s Olive Wood shop where we spent a happy  hour shopping. 

We ended our whirlwind day with a stop at Shepherds' field. We sat in a shepherd’s cave and worshiped the birth of Jesus, Son of God, born of a virgin woman, who came to heal this broken world that crucified him, so that he could restore us to God our Father. Our Savior, Messiah, the bread of life,  born in a little town called Bethlehem. 

- Luisa Goodwin