Day 1: Shehechiyanu & the Living Bible

We have arrived after a fourteen-hour plane ride to Tel Aviv. As we began to approach Israel and the Tel Aviv coast, it was interesting to me that the view looked similar to coasts of LA. If I weren’t paying attention I would have thought that I had arrived back at home. But as we got closer the unique architectural colors of the city make it stand out. One of the unique aspects of the Israeli architecture, especially in Jerusalem, is the use of a white, clean stone known as “Jerusalem Stone”. It is the same stone that was used to build the Getty museum. One of the members of our group said how she keeps on thinking that she is at the Getty looking around at all of the buildings. It’s amazing to see the many similarities in look and weather that this place has to Los Angeles.

One of the major differences though is the language. From the moment I walked into the airport at LAX, I was being spoken to in Hebrew. I am told that I look like I can be Middle Eastern, and perhaps that’s the reason why everyone greets me in Hebrew. I’m okay with blending in, but it really is a humbling experience for me. Typically, I am aware of the second language being spoken in LA, because more often than not it is Spanish. While I am out here, I will get the experience that all of the non-Spanish speakers of LA experience when they don’t understand what people are saying. I have learned a few words, which I am grateful to know, Shalom and Too da(sp?), which mean peace and thank you, respectively. I believe that when visiting a new place, these are two key words to know, they could possibly save my life!

We boarded a bus and then made our way across a valley that had been used to fight many battles, by Joshua (Joshua 10:1 – 27), Maccabees, the Philistines and many more. As I finish my first day here in Israel, I am going back through the bible and I am able to see the names and places that I have visited today. Suddenly the Bible is no longer a book of words, but real life that I am living and breathing. It is a challenge that I know I do not do daily when I am at home, even as a Religion teacher. If I take anything home from my time here, it will be a new challenge to live the Bible out, in the way that I am doing here. Finding the parallels to my daily life, and spending more time searching for the City of God in my midst.

What role do you find the Bible playing in your life today? How can you live out the Bible more daily?

As we entered into Jerusalem, we took a moment to pause on a hill over looking the walls of the Old City, the walls that were built by King David to surround the Temple Mount and protect the Holy of Holies. Now the Western Wall is all that remains of that original Temple. It is Jewish tradition to pause and pray the Shehechiyanu, a prayer said for many joyous occasions, like the beginning of Jewish holidays or the first time you taste a fruit in its season, but most especially for ones first visit to the Holy Land. The prayer goes as follows:

Baruch ata adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam, shehechiyanu, v’kiyamanu, v’higiyanu lazman hazeh

We give thanks to You O Lord our G-d, Ruler of the universe, for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach the moment of joy.

Are there any joyous moments in your life that you can recite the Shehechiyanu for?

One of the reflections that someone else in my group shared as we gathered together to pray was that this journey we take is not merely one that seeks the historical aspects of our Jewish and Christian traditions, but one that calls us to deepen our spirituality. They shared about the many thousands of people who have made pilgrimages to this holy place, and how we now continue in their footsteps, seeking a deeper spiritual relationship with the God who is present here in this place. I cannot help but feel that God too is present between you and I, in your following along and reading this. I am grateful and pray that these relationships between God and others may continue to be strengthened by my time here in the “City of Peace” as Jerusalem is also known.

There is still so much more to see and do here in Israel, and the next week and half will be filled with a lot more heart and eye opening experiences. I am grateful to have you walking this pilgrimage with me. You are in my prayers, thank you for yours.

Paz, Shalom, Salaam, Kinamwe, Peace