Day 9

Our last day in Israel, but we made the best of it. Once again it was drizzling in Jerusalem when we got up, but this day took us to the Judean Desert. Today’s agenda was Qumran, Masada and the Dead Sea. We had a new visitor with us today, our guide’s son, Gilad.

Our first stop was Qumran. Qumran is the site where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. In 1947 Bedouin shepherds found the first of the clay pots containing the ancient scrolls. A shepherd boy went off looking for a lost goat and threw a rock into one of the many caves in the area, thinking he would scare it out if it had gone in. He heard something break and went in to investigate. He found several large clay pots which contained ancient scrolls. In 1951-1957 the area was searched and additional caves and scrolls were found, as well at the ruins of the community of the Essenes, a conservative Jewish movement which had separated itself from the main stream Jews due to corruption within the priesthood. John the Baptist was believed to have been a part of this movement for a time.

Nearly 900 scrolls, Biblical and non-Biblical, have been discovered in eleven different caves at Qumran. Fragments of every book in the Tenakh (Old Testament) have been found, except Esther. The greatest find was a complete copy of the book of Isaiah, which is at least 1000 years older than any other previously discovered copy. As the Biblical scrolls have been translated, it has been found that they match our modern Bible. This is more proof that the Bible is God-inspired, as He has kept the translations intact over the years.

On our last trip to Israel we were unable to make it to Masada due to the heavy rains at the higher elevations, which caused a flash flood in the desert and washed out part of the road. This time, however, the rains were not as heavy so the roads were intact and we were able to make to Masada. What a sight!

The fortress of Masada is a plateau which stands approximately 1300 feet high and is 1800 feet long and 900 feet wide. It was originally built as a Roman fortress/outpost which King Herod refurbished into a palace retreat (in case he needed to flee his many enemies and family members seeking to kill him). When the Jews revolted against their Roman oppressors in 66 CE many (approximately 960) fled here when they were expelled from Jerusalem. In 72 CE the Roman army laid siege the Masada, in an attempt to destroy the last of the rebels. The siege lasted several months during which time the Romans built a siege ramp in order to use their battering rams. In 73 CE, the army succeeded in breaching the gates for the fortress. They chose to return to their camp until the previous morning, at which time they planned to enter the fortress and kill or take captive the Jewish rebels.

However, during the night the inhabitants of Masada voted to take their own lives instead of risking being taken prisoner. Each man killed his own family. Then ten men were chosen by lots to kill the other. One of those ten was then chosen to kill the remaining nine and the he would fall on his own sword. When the Romans entered the fortress the next morning they found all 960 inhabitants dead, except for two elderly woman and five young children. The Roman general was so impressed that the inhabitants were more willing to take their own lives than become slaves that he let the seven survivors go free. Josephus Flavius, a Jewish general who had surrendered to the Romans earlier during the wars, had offered his assistants in giving information and was on hand during the siege of Masada. His account of the siege is recorded in his works.

After a morning of touring ruins, it was off to a resort along the Dead Sea for lunch and relaxing in the Dead Sea. What an incredible sensation it is to float in the water of the Dead Sea. The high salt and mineral content of the Dead Sea has unique healing properties that for centuries have brought people from all over the world to soak in its water. Today, some European health insurance companies will even pay part of the cost of a visit to a Dead Sea spa as part of medical treatment for their patients. The Dead Sea is the lowest place on Earth at approximately 1330 feet below sea level.

As soon as we entered the water we could feel the difference from fresh water lakes, or even the ocean. Instead of sand on the bottom it is salt crystals. Tamar was the first in the water and was immediately floating effortlessly. In fact, it was more of an effort to NOT float than to float. When Miss Ingrid heard of the healing qualities of the Dead Sea water we couldn’t keep her out. She was soon floating and doing “Dead See Aerobics” with the rest of us, led by Linda Ross. It took more coaxing to get Rabbi Matthew and Abir to lay back and float. The air at the Dead Sea is also filled with various minerals which help one to relax. After about an hour in the sea we headed inside the spa to the very warm pool of Dead Sea water for more relaxation. That was so nice we almost fell asleep just stepping into the warm water. Our guide, Abi, said it is so relaxing that the drivers aren’t allowed to get in the water because they may fall asleep. Most of us did fall asleep on the way back to Jerusalem. What a wonderfully relaxing way to end a wonderful journey.

When we got back to the hotel, we had a few minutes to put our things in our room, and then gather together with Abi to share our thoughts about our journey. Everyone agreed that he and our driver, Sammy, went way above and beyond to accommodate us and to make us feel special. He shared that we were the first bus tour he had done in 20 years (he had been doing only private tours) and was so glad he agreed to take our tour. He said that our spirit and enthusiasm and willingness to do things made it real easy for him and Sammy to do whatever they could to make this a great trip for us. In fact, he enjoyed us so much that he requested to lead our next tour group, too.