blogs/rabbi-joshua-hoffman

Sadly, we had to pack up our luggage and prepare our departure from the idyllic guest house at Maagan Eden and make our descent from the Galillee to the Negev. But, our day ahead was filled with exciting sights and sites.

We began our morning walking the streets of the ancient city of Beit Shean. One of the largest and most well excavated archeological sites in the country, if not the world, Beit Shean has generations of cities upon cities that were inhabited from biblical times to the modern city sprawling around the park. We walked into the amphitheater where Keren invited some of our talented young singers to demonstrate how well the acoustics worked without electric amplification as they improvised the CeeLo Green song, "Forget You!". We then walked to the bathhouse area, and literally sat on the thrones of history as we learned about daily life in the Roman era. After walking in some blistering heat, we enjoyed an authentic Israeli moment, 'aruchat eser' the 10 o'clock snack time, by indulging in ice cream treats.

Our drive down the Jordan river valley was filled with interesting facts presented by the Dyne family (each family was given a place in Israel to research and creatively share their findings). Our plan was to drive directly to the Dead Sea spa, but the ever alluring possibility of a good deal diverted our itinerary for a brief (20-25 min) stop at the Ahava Factory store!

Laden with lotions and mud, perfumes and makeup, we continued on our trek to the Isrotel Hotel where lunch awaited our arrival (Please! Eat more food! Please!) No trip to the spa would be complete without a massage so, our group of 23 adults had the opportunity to indulge in a 25 minute massage while the children splashed in the pool. Small groups of families made their way down the Dead Sea to immerse in the very hot (90 degree water) and float in the sea with something like 30% salinity! By the way, most of the oceans in the world are between 3-4%. The Gershkowitz/​Glick/​Ridley/​Zazula family challenged us to take photos of the most creative pictures of a Dead Sea float. I think the hands and feet-free floating seemed to capture the wonder and amazement at this most unique experience. Knowing that our next stop was a Bedouin tent and a night of sleeping on the ground, many of the group playfully ventured to ask, "Can't we stay here for the night?!". But our adventure in Israel was just getting started!

We arrived at Kfar HaNokdim after driving on a desert road with nothing but rocks and dirt around us. From a distance the place appears seemingly as a collection of tents, until the approach reveals our destination to be a major operation of Birthright trips, family trips, and B'nai Mitzvah families. We alighted the bus to mount camels. Squeals of fear and delight were heard as most of our group slowly moved into the desert beyond the camp sauntering along on camels and appreciating how comfortable our modern modes of transportation have really become. We returned to the camp to meet a Bedouin greeter where our group learned how to wash, eat and drink like our hosts. Our exhaustion began to settle in as the sun slowly descended on the horizon, and our evening was calmly concluded with stargazing and a bonfire.

Our rest would only be brief, though. Our next adventure of climbing Masada for the sunrise would begin at 3:45 AM! We willingly endure a little discomfort for a profound revelation to come.