Reflections from the Holy Land – We Arrive
July 12th, 2009ARRIVAL DAY
6-30 The reflections Israel/Jordan continue….As I review the itinerary, I am reminded of the long lines at Bush Intercontinental Airport and the long flight from Houston to Frankfurt. I wonder, “Why are some people so mean to others? Pushing, shoving, ugly looks, all because of some self-imposed self-importance and the belief that “I” should be first. No, I’m not just talking about my colleagues. 
Oh wait….the answer to that question is simply SIN– where “I” am in the middle of it all. “I, I, I.” I am the sun and the universe revolves around me. Me, my, and mine are the most used pronouns in the English language. Oh, Where is Jesus? I wish to see Jesus.
Now from Frankfurt to Tel Aviv. We take a short van ride to Jerusalem. Here is what I see…
- Jerusalem
“The trip of my dreams!! and I am actually here, in Jerusalem. I can’t believe it.” (Oops…”I, I, I.”) During our stay in Jerusalem, Christ Church Guest House will be our home away from home. It is a beautiful complex including an Episcopal church, living areas and gardens just inside the Jappa Gate, inside the Old City Wall of Jerusalem. My room is tiny
- My room
but I have my own bathroom AND, almost as important, we are in the midst of it all in Jerusalem.
First impressions of Jerusalem….hot (over 100 degrees), lots of cars, lots of people, lots of commotion. Could have been Houston except there was no humidity and there were thousands of Hasidic Jews rushing about everywhere. Hasidic Judaism (also transliterated as Chasidic etc., from the Hebrew: חסידות , Hasidut, meaning “piety”, from the Hebrew root word חסד chesed meaning “loving kindness”) is a type of Orthodox or Haredi Jewish religious movement. As compared with other Jewish movements, Hasidic Judaism tends to focus on the role of the Rebbe (or Rabbi) as a spiritual conduit of God. Hasidic followers join worship groups associated with dynasties of Hasidic spiritual leaders. Each dynasty follows its own principles; thus Hasidic Judaism is not one movement, but a collection of separate individual groups with some commonality.
- Hasidic Jews
The teachings of Hasidism are founded on two theoretical conceptions: (1) religious Panentheism, or the omnipresence of God, and (2) the idea of Devekus, communion between God and man. ”Man,” says the Besht (Baal Shem Tov), “must always bear in mind that God is omnipresent and is always with him; that God is the most subtle matter everywhere diffused… Let man realize that when he is looking at material things he is in reality gazing at the image of the Deity which is present in all things. With this in mind man will always serve God even in small matters.” The tzaddik (righteous person) is in constant communion with God, even in their worldly affairs, since they also feel His presence in daily life.
A special form of communion with God for the Hasidem is prayer. In order to render this union complete the prayer must be full of fervor, ecstatic, and the soul of the person who prays, must during their devotions, detach itself from its material dwelling. For the attainment of ecstasy, recourse can be had to mechanical means, to enthusiastic bodily motions, to shouting and singing (hence the rocking that is seen at the Western Wall). According to the Besht, the path to God is in sicerity and fervour, rather than cold intellectual reasoning. (For more information about Hasidic Judaism, check out the world wide web.)
Back to Jerusalem….hot, busy, and lots and lots of different peoples from different ethnic backgrounds and differing religious beliefs. I am amazed. I am in Jerusalem. And tomorrow begins the tour……So my friends…..more tomorrow.
PB