Israel 2014: 20140222 Saturday, Shabbat Shalom

20140222 Saturday, Shabbat Shalom

0530, Natanya, Israel (Beach resort town just North of Tel Aviv/ Jaffe

The Seasons on the Sea

I'll just lightly touch on the misery of air travel recognizing that anyone who grumbles about some slight inconvenience while enjoying a trip to Israel does not deserve the right. We loaded the plane around 6:30 after another quick international security check. We were surrounded by wonderful people who were traveling home, vacationing like us ( nearly all in our group were taking this flight) or visiting families and friends. It did take nearly 3 hours before we actually pushed back: we don't know the real reasons; however, our seat mate could see that there was some issue with the luggage. It looked to him that they had to unload our plane and then load it back up with luggage from another plane as if the luggage was originally loaded into the wrong planes - can you imagine that!?The crew did seem anxious to leave because the days are relatively short this time of year and the Shabbat starts early and they wanted to get people home in time.

Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport

10 hours later we touched down in Tel Aviv.

Bright blue sky with occasional puffy clouds and nearly 70 degrees.

After retrieving luggage and three other members of our group who arrived on different planes we bundled ourselves into our waiting bus and met our in-country tour guide: Asher Ashkenazi. Asher has been taking "LDS" groups on tours for over 20-years. He seems very pleasant and knowledgeable and well versed in Mormon theology and culture as he quoted liberally from the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Bible, Various church and civic leaders in describing the area in which we will visit.

Our guide, Steve Kapp

Our first stop was to drive quickly through Tel Aviv and visit the adjacent old town of Jaffa, known in our scriptures and, among other biblical stories, the place when Peter was given his vision of the unclean animals on the sheet instructing him to take the gospel to the Gentiles in Simon the Tanner's home. We visited the traditional home of Simon.

Simon's House

We will hear "traditional" during much of this trip. Most of the sites are just unable to be verified. This home actually has people still living in it and the family will not be disturbed in order to do a proper historical review. In any case - if not here then in a home much like this very near here which for me suffices.

Judy, from Jaffe looking towards Tel Aviv

Following our visit to Joppa we drove north through Tel Aviv and up the coast to what seems to be a Mediterranean Sea resort town of Natanya and are staying in the The Seasons on the Sea Hotel.

We offloaded or luggage, got keys to our rooms and pushed the button for the elevator. We got in the Shabbat elevator. Learning the lesson of Shabbat and the guidelines of appropriate behavior during this holy day. The one elevator that is designated as the Shabbat elevator dropped to the basement floor and then made an express to the top, 17th floor. It then descended only two floors at a time, skipping the odd numbered floor. In the back of my mind I seem to remember that one of the guidelines is to not walk up more than two floors during Shabbat. I'll have to research to confirm this vague memory. In any case a treat to be involved in the Shabbat in such a manner.

After checking in we went down for dinner with the group and met many who were coming out of Synagogue and were attending Shabbat meal in the hotel restaurant. What a wonderful tradition of gathering family and friends for prayer, song, communion and a meal. We enjoyed listening to their song/prayers before their meal and interacting with the family groups who were celebrating Shabbat. We need to learn so much from how to really observe the Sabbath and how to gather our families in devotion to our Father.

After dinner the Naumann's and us took a walk on the moonlit beach for about 45-minutes enjoying the night, the miracle of being here and each other. Bed was welcomed around 9:30. Sleep was solid until 4:00 - jet lag! I tried to lay still in bed so as not to wake Judy. She was doing the same for me. I gave up at 5:00 and started the day. It looks as if Judy is ready now too and at 7:00 breakfast and Cesarea, Mt. Carmel, Megiddo and Nazareth are waiting for our footsteps.