Masada

Hello from 1400 feet below sea level at the Dead Sea.

Here in Israel the geography is described as near the Dead/Red or Med   as in Dead Sea/Red Sea or Mediterranean Sea.  This an incredibly quiet, peaceful and noncommercial place, bordered by Jordan.  We took the requisite plunge covered in Mud, hopefully photos will not be viewed by anyone as politically incorrect.   After another lovely last night and sumptuous breakfast, we were off to Masada, the towering desert fortress built by Herod in 45 AD.  

Although I knew something about the failed attempt to defend against the Romans and Greeks, I had no conception of the immensity of this desert palace.  Herod the Great built this palace with ritual bathhouses, libraries, storehouses, (later a synagogue) and an elaborate system of cisterns to claim water.  After Herod’s death and the burning of Jerusalem, the Jews revolted and took possession of the fortress.  In 72 AD 962 Jewish fighters and refugees were living here, and the Romans began to lay siege.   10,000 Roman soldiers were ultimately too great an obstacle for the Jews, who made a critical decision:  faced with the prospect of slavery the leaders chose to end their lives rather than be taken alive by the Romans.  10 small stones have been found with the names of the 10 men who took the lives of the others.  The last killed himself.  Two women and five children survived by hiding in a cave.  The storerooms of food were left intact to prove that their decision had not been dictated by hunger.  

These women carried their story to Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, author of “The Jewish War.  I’d not heard of Josephus before, and without him we would not have known much about what happened at Masada, or the reign of Herod.  

So, this was where I had my first moments of tears, during our conversation as a group, led by the amazing Pastor Bob Henley.  Bob patiently and deliberately guides our group through a discussion of why this happened:   Why did the Jewish people revolt?   How did the Romans treat those under their rule that caused this revolt? Why was this the time of growing Messianic fervor?  How did Jesus, a good and observant Jew find his followers? How did modern Judaism grow out of this time, including the shift of importance from animal sacrifice to study and worship of Torah?  For me this is a central question of modern Judeo-Christian thought and the very safe forum to discuss these issues, sitting on top of Masada is at once overwhelming and provocative.  I am constantly amazed by the storage of knowledge of this man, and of our guide, Yaron. 

Although I have lived with a devout Christian for 40 years there is so much, I don’t know or understand about his faith, having been raised in a Jewish household where the understanding of God began and ended with Judaism and the struggles of our people.  And there are many on this trip who have a similar experience of Judaism, with little understanding of those who do not accept Christ.  But our commonalities are so much greater than our differences, and as we greet our first Shabbat together this evening before dinner, I look forward to understanding these stands more clearly as the days continue.  

10 June, Isrotel, Dead Sea

Author: Susan Hirschbiel