Israel - Day 7 - Jerusalem

We caught our first glimpse of the city of Jerusalem last night right at dusk, to the strains of a stirring song about this city.

Our first expedition the next morning was to the outer corner of the western wall.
 Shmulik gave a wonderful explanation of the excavations, how the original street was much lower.  Over the years, layer upon layer had been added until the wall was much lower than it had originally been.

How thrilling to realize we were walking where Jesus walked.

 This is the famous "Wailing Wall", the inside of the Western Wall, the holiest spot for Jews.   

 Men went up to the wall on one side to pray.
Orthodox Jews put on their prayer shawls and yarmulkes, and wound
phylacteries around their arms,.  These were leather straps
with a little box attached which contained portions of the
Torah, the Jewish portion of the Scriptures. 

On the right was the women's section.  The custom
was to write out a prayer and stuff it into the cracks of the wall.  I found myself passing out little pieces of paper to the women of our group.  When there was
an opening, I added my prayer to the wall, and stayed there for a few moments.  It was a solemn
moment.





When Shmulik was in the Israeli army he and his buddies were leaning against a wall.  He didn't know it was the Western Wall, but they discovered a tunnel running parallel to the wall.

We noticed women sitting in corners along the way.  Our pastor explained they were trying to get as close as possible to the Holy of Holies, which had been on the inside of the wall, to recite the written prayers in their book.  In the Old Testament the Holy of Holies was the place of the presence of God, and only the priest was allowed to enter.  As Christians, we don't have to try to get near the Holy of Holies. When Jesus died on the cross, the temple curtain tore in two, symbolizing the free access we now have to the Father.  That is the Gospel, the good news!

At the Church of St. Anne, we sang the Doxology:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
A-a-men.

  The sound of our voices echoed in the old church with its wonderful accoustics.

The Church of all Nations where Mary and her parents were buried.
It was at the bottom of the Mount of Olives, from which we walked down the road Jesus rode on when he entered the city on a donkey, on what was later called Palm Sunday. The people were full of homage and praise, thinking Jesus had come to set up an earthly kingdom.

This large room, built in the 12th century, was the site of the Upper Room, where Jesus and His disciples ate their last Supper. I wondered if the actual room was really this big.

 In the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Orthodox Christians wiping a slab of marble with oil.  It was supposed to have been the slab on which Jesus was laid when He was taken down from the cross. I think they were doing this as an act of devotion. The church itself was very crowded, as some churches believe it was the actual site of Jesus' tomb.  It was also very ornate. I would've liked to have explored it a  bit more, but not in that crowd. We were hustled along and cautioned to stay close together so as not to get lost.

Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Some of these were so old they could've been there when Jesus spent his last night praying and agonizing over the upcoming event of his crucifixion.







Today had been a full day; we were glad to get back to the Dan Panorama Hotel to have another wonderful buffet dinner with its multitude of choices.  Bedtime was early and how great to finally sleep a solid eight hours!