Each year on Lag B’omer, over 250,000 people converge on the sleepy town of Meron in northern Israel. What is it that attracts so many people to Meron?
The earth covering the courtyard contained some large building stones, some of which are elaborate architectural elements associated with the 2nd Temple period.
On a tiny hilltop in the middle of the Elah Valley, near the city of Beit Shemesh, an ancient city was uncovered, with features and details that seem to match the biblical account of the region. Whether this discovery provides physical evidence of the existence of a Davidic stronghold in the Elah Valley is the... Read more »
The third small neighborhood built outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem was called Nahalat Shiva (meaning the inheritance of the seven), named because seven families originally got together and decided to buy property and build a neighborhood there.
The annual three-week mourning period for the destruction of the Holy Temples is an especially appropriate time to visit places connected to the Holy Temple.
Jerusalem is likely to have more holy, meaningful sites per square meter than any other place. Even places that seem simply recreational have deeper meaning.
Despite years of war and conflict in the region, Israel's north has a wealth of scenic nature trails and the Nahal Ilyon Nature Reserve in the town of Metulla is no exception.
Below the town of Efrat is a 2,000-year-old aqueduct, the Biyar, which would bring natural spring water to collecting pools south of Bethlehem and to Jerusalem.
A visit to Yad Vashem is emotionally charged, as is a visit to Mount Herzl cemetery, but somehow, the Connecting Path helps us channel our emotions in a hopeful direction.
When we visit places mentioned in the Bible, we understand the events in a much more profound way. We see the landscape, flora and fauna, which in many cases have not changed.
King David writes, “The Mountains surround Jerusalem, just as God surrounds His people” (Psalms 125), and it seems likely that the Jewish monarch was looking at the Mount of Olives as he wrote this.
Understanding the synagogues and yeshivot (study halls) of the Old City and their history is a fascinating way to measure the heartbeat throughout the generations.