From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows!!

Today we made our descent out of the city of Jerusalem right down to the Judean desert and began our day at the Qumran Caves where we learned about the very strict Essene sect who studied here for two centuries beginning around 31 BCE. They left a magnificent legacy as we have come to appreciate the amazing Dead Sea Scrolls that have been tested with incredible accuracy to our current translation of the book of Isaiah. It would be the Bedouin shepherds, a nomadic group that we saw even today, who stumbled upon them as they threw rocks in a cave there in 1947. We learned a lot about the Essene culture, their strict attention to ritual baths for ceremonial cleansing, communal life and their incredible attention to becoming scribes of the Word. To stand there and stare at Q1 - the first cave in which scrolls were found in clay jars was pretty amazing. It is certainly a testament to the fact the Word of God stands forever and a testament to the authenticity of our faith.

From here we travelled further down along the Dead Sea to the site most visited by tour groups to Israel, Masada. It is an incredible sight to see this plateau 450feet above the Dead Sea that was home to a private refuge and winter palace for King Herod until his death in 4 BCE.

However it is most well known for Eleasar Ben-Yair who led a great revolt and captured it in 66 CE and along with 900 Jewish rebels held this last stronghold until they were finally defeated as a legion of 8000 troops built a seige wall and a ramp up the west wall to finally conquer this leader and his followers. They brought a tower and battering ram up the ramp to finally batter the wall. There are two different opinions as to how the rebels died, but it all ended in 74 CE.

So, we hopped on an impressive tram that led up to the top of this historical plateau and see the remains of buildings, the wall, Herod's palace, a sophisticated cistern to access water etc... This leader, Ben-Yair is an inspiration to the nation for his will and resolve to the very end.

After this high point in our trip, we went to the lowest point on our trip, the place considered to be the lowest point in the world, The Dead Sea. To put things in perspective, The Mediterranian Sea has 1.5% -2.5% salt content in it and the Red Sea has 3% salt content....The Dead Sea - 38% -are you kidding me!!

It was 30C as we hopped in the very warm and salty water. It is so difficult just to put your feet down as they just bob to the top and there you float without any effort...it was wild and so much fun and you just have to laugh and say to yourself, I feel like an almost beached whale!

From there you have to walk along the shore line about 300feet where you can dig out the rich dark mineral mud and viola, a neck to toe mud bath and you come out 10 years younger! woo-hoo.... As you know these minerals have become a major industry in the cosmetic market and a great export for this country!

Then to cap off the afternoon, we were able to capture pics of camels. We arrived back at the hotel and I had a chance to say hi to everyone at Southside before embarking on our last 'official' tour as our tour guide took us on a walk through the Hasidic 'very orthodox' Jewish neighbourhoods.

There we saw how these large families live in very small quarters and pretty much cut themselves off from the rest of the world by choosing to live without most modern things like TV, internet and all dressing in the same way like we see with the strict mennonite cultures in Ontario. The children right through to the adults dress in black and white or grey and white stripe outer clothing depending on which ancient rabbi they revere. They also have the most interesting hair cuts with very long side burns that grow like hair down the front of their face next to their beards. They try to follow all 600+ levitical laws in the Torah which include not letting a razor touch their beard. These communities are known to have the lowest crime rates around. However, when someone breaks a rule, there usually is no mercy and they are expelled from the community.

So, just a few blocks away, we move into the buffer zone and find an Ethopian Jewish church that points itself back to the Queen of Sheba and then from there we come to the Jaffa Road and enter into the modern Jewish community which looks like any downtown city that would be normal to us with lots of high end shops, a beautiful outdoor mall and great cafes where I grabbed an amaretto coffee and try to soak in my last night out on the streets of Jerusalem.

Tomorrow we spend our last day visiting our favorite sites before we head out to Tel Aviv for our flight that goes out at midnight so that means one more journal entry for me and it has been great to reflect every night on my experiences here.

I thought how appropriate that the passage I read this morning fitting of my time here and just understanding the powerful significance of this incredible city.

Psalm 87
¹ On the holy mountain
stands the city founded by the Lord.
² He loves the city of Jerusalem
more than any other city in Israel.
³ O city of God,
what glorious things are said of you!
Interlude

⁴ I will count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me—
also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Ethiopia.
They have all become citizens of Jerusalem!
⁵ Regarding Jerusalem it will be said,
“Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there.”
And the Most High will personally bless this city.
⁶ When the Lord registers the nations, he will say,
“They have all become citizens of Jerusalem.”
Interlude

⁷ The people will play flutes and sing,
“The source of my life springs from Jerusalem!”