First Days

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We woke to a bright and beautiful morning here in Yerushalayim on Friday. After breakfast, we drove to the Mount of Olives. From our vantage point, we had an amazing view of the City and the Kidron Valley that lies between it and the Mount of Olives. Directly before us was the Temple Mount, and on top sits the Dome of the Rock where once sat the Holy of Holies in the days of the Temple. We recited the Shema as we gazed at the Temple Mount, and many of us experienced mixed emotions. It is a great pleasure to know that we are once again able to worship in the City, but the sweet is mixed with the bitter because the Restoration of the City is not yet complete. We could also clearly see the bricked in arches of the Golden Gate that once led directly to the Temple in ancient times. This gate is also known as the “Gate of Mercy” because it is through this gate that the Mashiach will enter in the fullness of time.

Directly below our vantage point was the Jewish Cemetery. It is the oldest Jewish cemetery in the world with tombs dating back to the time of King Shlomo (Solomon). We walked down the Mount of Olives to look out from another view point and read some scripture. We continued walking down the mount to Get Shemin (Gethsemane). In Hebrew this means, roughly, “the place of pressing” because in ancient times this was a huge grove of olive trees, and the olives were pressed here to make oil, most likely for use in the Temple. The pressure exerted on the olives during this process brings forth both oil and water. It seems fitting that is was this place that Y-shua came to pray before His sacrifice. It was close to the City, but removed enough to be a place of peace and quiet during the busy season of Pesach (Passover). And for Him, as for the olives, it was a place of great pressing. Today, only a few olive trees remain of what must have been an enormous grove. The ancient olive trees are truly a sight to see. The main trunk is twisted and hollowed with age, and yet the tree is still vibrant with life as healthy young branches and shoots continue to grow from the tree’s ancient heart.

From the Mount of Olives, we drove to the Zion Gate. The gate is so narrow that cars must navigate carefully or they will be unable to make the sharp turn through the gate. The current Zion Gate was constructed by Suliman the Great during the Turkish occupation of the City. This gate leads to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. The outside of the gate is pockmarked with bullet holes. During the War of Liberation (1948), the Jordanian army trapped the residents inside the Jewish Quarter, and the bullet holes are from the battle of the IDF trying to free them.
From the Zion Gate, we walked to the place that is commonly believed to be close to the site where Y-shua and His disciples ate the Pesach meal in the Upper Room. The place that is called the Upper Room today is not the actual room in which they as the building dates only to the Crusader period, but it was probably very near this spot. The architecture was very beautiful, with soaring Gothic arches and decorative capitals on all the pillars. Beneath the room is a synagogue that is said to contain the Tomb of King David, and we had the opportunity to visit the synagogue and pray.

After the synagogue, we went to another viewpoint. We could see all three peaks of the Mount of Olives: Mount Scopus where sits Hebrew University, the central peak with the Jewish Cemetery and Get Shemin, and finally, the Mount of Corruption with a U.N. building on its summit. We could also overlook the Kidron Valley, the Siloam Pool, and the Valley of Gehinnon.

After this, we drove to the Mahane Yehuda Market. This is a huge open air market in the heart of the City where the locals come to do their shopping, and it was especially busy on Friday as everyone was preparing for Shabbat. We had a quick lunch of falafels, and then, we joined the throng to do our own shopping for Shabbat. In the market, we were no longer tourists. We were just people preparing for Shabbat like everyone else, going from stall to stall to buy what we needed. In the U.S., we go to the supermarket and buy everything we need in one stop, but it's not like that here. At one stall, you find vegetables and at another cheese. Further on you might finds fruits, hummus, halva, or baked goods. Everywhere is the delightful smell of flowers and fruits mixed with spices and the aroma of fresh baked pastries. For a few brief hours, we got to wander, shop, and engage in the excitement of Shabbat preparation. It made us feel as if we were part of the City too. For an all too brief time, we felt like residents instead of just visitors. It felt like we were home.

After our shopping, we visited the Garden Tomb. This is believed by many to be the place where the body of Y-shua was brought after He was crucified. The reason many believe this is because it is near “Skull Hill”. This hill clearly has the shape of a skull in it, and scripture tells us the Y-shua was killed at Golgatha, which means “the place of the skull”. It also tells us that this place was very close to the tomb that Y-shua was buried in.

We walked back to our hotel from the Garden Tomb laden with our purchases to complete our Shabbat preparations. It was such a joy and a blessing to be able to celebrate the Shabbat here in Yerushalayim. For so many years, we have said at holidays, “Next year in Yerushalayim”, but this time, we were really here. I cannot even begin to explain to you what it really feels like or what it means to be able to celebrate Shabbat here. Just know that it is a truly wonderful experience. We light the candles, recited the bracha (blessings), and welcomed the Shabbat in with great joy. We enjoyed a lovely time of fellowship and a delicious Shabbat meal.

This morning, many of us walked to the Kotel (the Western Wall) to pray. It was an amazing experience. It is about a 15 minute walk from where we are staying to the Jaffa Gate. We entered the Old City through the Jaffa Gate, and walked through the Jewish Quarter to the Kotel. After praying at the Wall, we walked back through the Old City, and exited by the New Gate. From there, we walked back to our hotel to share a meal together. This evening, we concluded Shabbat with the Havdalah ceremony before sharing supper together. What an amazing Shabbat we had here!

Tomorrow there will be more adventures for us, but tonight is for resting.

Shalom Alechem and Shavuotov

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