Day #11 Welcoming Shabbat at the Western Wall

Day #11 began with a tour of David's City. These ancient ruins lie just outside the Old City Jerusalem. We watched an informative 3D movie about the history of David's City and Jerusalem. Jewish Israelis are eager to do more archeological exploration under this part of Jerusalem but the Muslims who own the property above ground are hesitant (to say the least) to sell their land to Jews. In fact, for a Palestinian Muslim to sell property to an Israeli Jew is an offense punishable by death.

Later in the morning we went to the Israel Museum where the Dead Sea Scrolls are held. After that we left our Jewish tour guide behind and headed for the Palestinian controlled city of Bethlehem. Since our bus driver is an Israeli born Arab he has the freedom to travel between Israel and the West Bank controlled areas. Just inside the city limits of Bethlehem we picked up our new tour guide for the afternoon. "Johnny" took us for lunch to a place called "The Christmas Tree Restaurant" where we enjoyed delicious Shawarma sandwiches. In Bethlehem we saw the birthplace of Jesus and the church occupies that site as well as Shepherd's Field where the angels may have announced Jesus birth to the shepherds. We even sang a couple of Christmas carols inside the chapel there.

The highlight of the day for me was going to the Western Wall for the beginning of Shabbat. Shabbat is the Jewish holy day of rest. It begins at sundown on Friday and goes through the end of Saturday. Faithful Jews are not allowed to do any kind of manual labor, cooking, business, or travel on the Sabbath. Ultra-Orthodox Jews who live within walking distance come to the Western Wall to welcome the Sabbath. It's a very festive event. Prim and proper Ultra-Orthodox Jews, dressed in their best black suits and white shirts, dance and sing as dusk approaches. First, they turn their backs to the Wall (the only time they are permitted to turn their backs to the Holy Wall) and face west. As the sun sets they turn around and face the Wall and begin to sing, pray and dance.

Our tour guide told me that his father dressed in a white suit for every Shabbat. He had a separate five-piece white suit, however, that he kept hung in the close and never wore. That special suit was waiting for the day when the Messiah would return. Gideon told me his father started each day opening the kitchen window looking for the Messiah's return.

Of course, we too are awaiting the Messiah's return - his second and final coming when all the dead shall rise and all things will be made new. Oh, to live and pray with such daily expectation of Christ's glad return!

Pic descriptions
1. Waiting with our 3D glasses in place for the movie about David's City
2. Descending underground along a newly excavated tunnel along the base of the Western Wall.
3. Standing outside the southwest corner of the Temple Mount.
4. Approaching the entrance of the Church of the Nativity.
5. Our Palestinian guide "Johnny" inside the Shepherd's Cave chapel.
6. Ultra-Orthodox Jews scurry toward the Wailing Wall, dressing as they go.
7. Ceremonial hand cleansing before prayer.
8. Hundreds gather to welcome Shabbat.