Episode 13: "The Sacred" (+) [V]

Last Wednesday was an incredible kickoff to the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana. What began as an attempt to catch a little Jerusalem culture turned out to be a kickin' adventure with friends, food, and new discoveries. I'm in awe of Israel's wonders, but even more so of the fortunes I've had in being here. Check it:

And that's just me revving the engine, baby.
Buckle up.

The night before, while I was at Tami's dinner party with my Hebrew class, I finalized Rosh Hashana plans with two of my Arab friends, Nancy and Areej. They had volunteered to drop Val and I off at the Dome of the Rock (the Muslim holy site). They know the area well, and I love their company anyway, so I was especially thankful that they volunteered their time to me. Here are some pictures of them at the party, the day before the craziness started.

Me, Areej and Nico, another friend from class.



Nancy and I.

Val and I met up with Nancy and Areej the next morning, along with other classmates. We walked to a bus stop that was nearby school, but one I had never used before; it was a stop for an Arab bus. I had taken main bus lines in Jerusalem before, but never an Arab one. Once we were on, an Israeli guard asked everyone to show their identification cards. All of the Arabs on the bus showed their cards, Val and I identified ourselves as Americans, and the Israeli guy left. I asked Nancy what the deal was. She told us that the Isreali government forces Arabs to have identification cards in order to have full access to Israeli territory. I was a little sickened, but glad to learn what I did.

After we got to the Old City, the hustle began. The plan was for Nancy and Areej to guide us to the Dome of the Rock, drop us off, and go shopping with the others. But when they stopped to talk to a couple of Arabic guys, I guess they realized the Temple Mount was closing to visitors soon. They spoke with a guy named Morot (spelling is definitely off, here) and he decided to be our unofficial tour guide.

The Dome of the Rock.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque, a separate site
nearby the Dome.

The girls split after making sure we were safe with Morot inside the Temple Mount. Morot took Val and I looking around, but we weren't allowed inside the Dome or the mosque. Not really a problem--the outsides of each were beautiful enough. For those of you who don't know (I didn't before Val told me), the Dome of the Rock is where, according to Biblical tradition, Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac to God. Genesis 22, if you're interested. If not, sleep well and blissfully. It's a pretty unsettling story.

Anyway, Morot surprised me by taking us not only to the Dome of the Rock, but to Christian sites all around the Old City. Specifically, he took us to the "Stations of the Cross," the places where Jesus is said to have walked on his journey to crucifixion. I've got zero Catholic upbringing, so I hadn't memorized the stations or anything, but seeing them in real life was a mixed experience. Stations include:

Where Christ was beaten.

Where Christ was condemned to be crucified
(now a courtyard for a Christian/Muslim school).

Where Christ was given the cross to carry.


And last but certainly not least,
the place where Jesus was crucified.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Inside the Church, I stood in the spot designated as Golgotha--the place where Jesus was crucified. I stared, completely stunned, at an art depiction of Jesus on the cross there. I was silent there for at least two minutes. I felt a rumbling tension--almost physical, the strain was so raw--of trying to take in the meaning of the place.

Val recorded me standing there, even though I didn't know it at the time, which you can see in the new clip I added to the video bar. And hey, from now on, when you see a [V] labeling the title of the blog, it means I've added a video (or more). So, [V]. A new one's up.

Anyway, we walked around more of the place. Val took me to a lower chamber, ancient crosses etched into the staircase walls along the way. Once we got there we sat there in the room in silence for a while, with beams of light streaming in from outside. On our way out of the Church, we heard a chorus of beautiful voices singing nearby the tomb where Jesus' body was lain. We sought out the music and found that it was a group of nuns singing in another language while waiting to see the tomb. Absolutely gorgeous.

Later that night, I met up with Oded. He's an adult friend of mine, 27 I think, who runs the campus Hillel events. He's incredibly nice, personable and generous. When he figured out I didn't have a family to eat dinner with for Rosh Hashanah, he immediately invited me to his place. So after I got home from the Old City that Wednesday, Oded picked me up in his car and drove me to his house. He, his wife Rachel and I went to a synagogue service, then did dinner with his family. His family was--you guessed it--also wonderfully nice and inviting. Ushering in the Jewish new year like that was priceless; great food, great people, and good conversation with my friend. I was so thankful for the hospitality I experienced. Plus, you can't go wrong when you're eating apples dipped in honey for a "sweet" new year. Life is simply good from then on.

Oded, the man who saved Rosh Hashana.

After Oded drove me home, I hung out with Val again to close out the night. As we talked, something interesting came up. He mentioned that visiting holy sites had been anti-climactic for him. That on some level he had expected to be spiritually struck by finally seeing all these places in person. And on the other hand, he mentioned, he had learned that those expectations were unrealistic and probably not very productive. Why should his faith be confirmed by a site when the meanings of these places had already transcended their locations? What did Christ's crucifixion mean, rather than what did it look like?

Val had touched on exactly how I had been feeling. The Sea of Galilee. The Upper Room. Golgotha. I hadn't told anyone that I was feeling slightly disappointed in seeing these places up close--and that I'd had a subconscious expectation of spiritual-revelation-upon-arrival that wasn't being satisfied. But Val's words were completely reassuring. Why should I place so much weight on these sites? What was more valuable; their existence as religious landmarks or their existence as religious symbols? I've been valuing the longitude and latitude a lot lately, and that's cost me, I think. I've been disappointed with not feeling God in these places, while feeling God is something that can happen anywhere. I guess I knew that, but Val talking about it really helped me.

All in all, I think I got to see and/or experience something sacred to each of the big time religions here: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. From the Dome of the Rock to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to the warm and welcoming Rosh Hashana dinner I had with Oded's family, I feel as if I took huge steps toward tapping into the heart of Israel's people. And by the end of the day, I guess I got to reevaluate what was sacred to me. It's the heart of God I'm ultimately seeking, not his zip code. The next holy site I see shouldn't have to spiritually levitate me to help me appreciate it; it should be a bonus to my faith, not the confirmation or the cornerstone.

And with that, I'm off. Thanks for listening. You and I should talk like this more often.

And by "I'm off" I mean to Egypt. For a week and a half. Guess I'll be able to test all this newfound wisdom on myself a bit there, since Egypt is where a lot if the God stuff started. Either that or I'll just go nuts over how amazing it all looks anyway. Either will do.

Shalom,
Eric