Zippori: The Jewel of the Galilee

During the time of Herod the Great, Zippori (Tzipori/Sepphoris), located not far from Nazareth, was the capital of the Galilee.

It was a city of great wealth, surrounded by the fertile fields of the lower Galilee. It got its name from a bird that perches on top of a mountain, because that's what it looked it. While ownership of the city passed back and forth from the Greeks to the Romans to the Jews, it was back in the hands of the Romans by the time of Constantine, and in 363 AD, was completely destroyed in an earthquake.

But let's back up a minute. In 47 BC, Herod the Great became the governor of the Galilee and took Zippori by force. After his death in 4 BC, the Jews there revolted. The Roman army burned the city to the ground, put out the rebellion, and sold the Jews into slavery. Then Herod's son, Antipas, rebuilt and fortified Zippori, or, as it is better known in the Bible, Sepphoris. 

This is significant because Zippori is only a few miles from Nazareth, and after a city has been burned to the ground, the need for skilled craftsmen like carpenters and stone masons would be great. A famous carpenter/stone mason and his son from Nazareth likely came and worked there: Joseph of Nazareth and Yeshua, or, Jesus. So while there's no actual story putting Jesus in Sepphoris in the New Testament, it's very likely Jesus physically walked these streets and worked on some of the buildings (perhaps under the layer that is exposed today). It's also believed in church tradition that Mary, the mother of Jesus was actually from Zippori, and her family lived here.

Zippori in 2022 is an active archeological site, but it is open as a state park to visitors, where they can explore the streets, public buildings, private dwellings, a market, a bath house, a fortress, aqueduct system, church, ancient synagogue, and even a theater! Throughout the site are incredible, intricate mosaics that speak to the wealth and culture of the city during the Byzantine period.

Are you ready to explore? Let's go!

Can you see yourself strolling alongside this ancient city? The expanse of it was incredible! And then to walk up to these mosaics... gorgeous! There are more than 40 that have been discovered. Many of them are in the Nile house, but some are out in the open, like here:

The walk up to the fortress. Yikes!!!

The fortress, built during the Crusader period.

The view from the top was incredible! No wonder this city was named after a bird! You can even see the aerostat, the world's largest unmanned airship, in the distance just above the mountains (around right center). 

Look! My first ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY- a cherry jolly rancher!!!! (Thanks to my friend who left it for me to find when I turned my back, haha).

Dwellings from the first century BC (Hasmonean period): 

Now, the theater:

And the synagogue:

Which, by the way, had images from pagan mythology in it: the zodiac. Why was this allowed into the synagogue?

Unfortunately, we had to leave before we could explore the water system... and the church wasn't open to visitors. Which just means, I'll need to go back! It was a beautiful day walking through this ancient city, and I know I only just scratched the surface learning about it. 

Wow! Pretty cool, huh? What did you think about our trip around Zippori? I 100% recommend taking a few hours to explore this incredible place!

The Tomb of Honi the Circlemaker

Remember in 2019 when I talked about Honi and chutzpah? This story has been made famous in the evangelical Christian world after Mark Batterson published his book, The Circlemaker.

Well, I got to go to Honi's memorial site!

Honi Ha Me'agel was a wise rabbi who lived during the inter-testamental period (the 400 years of silence). At one point during his life, Israel experienced a horrible drought. One day, Honi went out and drew a circle in the ground, saying to God, "I will not leave this circle until you send rain."

A little rain fell, but it wasn't enough. So he said to God, "No, I'm asking for rain to fill wells, and pools, and caves." The rain became a torrential downpour. So he prayed again, "No, softer" and the rain lessened to a life-giving pace.

Now, it's possible to visit Honi's tomb up in the Hula Valley in northern Israel. It has a beautiful view, as you can see above! 

People come from all over to pray at Honi's tomb, much as a Catholic pilgrim might travel to pray at a saint's tomb.

There are two entrances, one for men and one for women. Here's the entrance to the women's section:

And here is what it looks like inside. The book case has prayer books and there are scarves to the side for women to use as head coverings.

The graves of his grandsons are nearby, as well as a school for young boys and a yeshiva for married men. 

Pretty cool!

Celebrating Purim in Israel

This week was Purim in Israel. It was my first time celebrating this holiday, and I didn't know what to expect.

historical info from chabad.org

I mean, I know the story of Esther. It's a favorite. But I wasn't sure how the day would be celebrated. 

So when I started hearing about balls and parties, and seeing costumes in local shops, I was surprised. Then I learned that dressing up in costumes is a big part of the celebration. The reason why is because this real-life event—how God saved the Jews from annihilation at the hands of Haman in Persia—doesn't have any overtly obvious miracles. God worked miraculously—in disguise. His appearance in Esther (Megillah in Hebrew) is also hidden: through how He works and references to prayer... the name of God isn't even mentioned!

photo from chabad.org

A second tradition is that if you go to a synagogue on Purim, you'll hear the reading of the entire book of Esther (Megillah). As it's only 10 chapters, it isn't too long.

A typical food for Purim are hamantaschen, 3-cornered pastries that are basically pockets with filling, which is often poppy seeds. There are many reasons for this, from the shape of the pastry to the poppy seeds. The most intriguing to me was a story from the Talmud that Daniel was Esther's faithful messenger in the palace, and since both ate kosher, they ate a lot of poppy seeds.

photo from myjewishlearning.com

Another theory for the shape of the pastry is that Mordechai sent messages to all the Jews talking about the destruction that would come, but they didn't believe him. So he sent more, but was worried they would be intercepted. So instead he hit them in side pocket pastries.

Another story is that Haman wore a 3-cornered hat. And the word "tash" in the middle of Hamantaschen means "to weaken". Literally, Haman weakens. 

Other traditions include giving gifts to the poor or charity, as well as gifts to a friend.

While I didn't go to any parties or feasts (I didn't know about one until it was too late, as I'd already made plans), I saw so many people in costumes—adults and kids alike. People at were dressed up or had a fun decoration on their clothes. Stores were decorated as well. I went to a sporting goods store on Wednesday and each of the mannequins had something fun added to the outfits they were advertising. Schools were out for both Wed and Thurs, and there was a festive feeling in the air. 

One more cool thing I learned about the significance of Purim: God has used this date multiple times to show His rescue of the Jewish people. For instance: 

• Joseph Stalin died on Purim in 1953
• The Persian Gulf war, which started with Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, ended on Purim.

So fun! As for me, I spent Purim hiking around Mount Tabor in the Jezreel Valley—but that's another post for another day!

!חג פורים שמח

Tsfad: Birthplace of Kabbalah

Tsfad is now the highest city in all of Israel, even higher than Jerusalem. In the Upper Galilee with beautiful views all around, it's suggested that Jesus motioned to Tsfad when he talked about a city on a hill in His Sermon on the Mount.

It's also one of the 4 holiest cities in Israel, along with Hebron, Jerusalem, and Tiberias. However, Tsfad stands out from the other 3 as the birthplace of Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. There's a large arts community there, as well as cool history. 

I didn't get to spend a lot of time in Tsfad, so I definitely want to go back, and especially see more of the arts community there. But walking and driving through the old town, it was awesome to see the beautiful art in the actual city, like this:

Though I was in sandals, it was pretty cool the day I was there, as it was officially winter. And the sun was about to set, which made walking through the city even more beautiful.

(There are bullet holes in the sides of this building, as it was a shelter during the 1948 War of Independence, due to its thick walls and small windows).

This British clock tower is from 1948, and formed the line between the Jewish and Arab communities. Women from both communities would come here to talk with each other.

(The taller mountain in the distance is Mount Meron, the 2nd highest mountain in Israel. There's a tomb for an important rabbi in Kabbalah there. This is where 45 people were crushed by the crowd in April 2021).

Erev tov!

Rosh Pinna: Cornerstone

Rosh Pinna, literally translated into "Cornerstone", is one of the oldest Zionist settlements in Israel. Originally established by local Jews in 1878, it was abandoned until a group of Romanian Jews settled it in 1883 and named it for the first in Psalms 118:23: "The stones the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." 

With a population of just over 3,000, it looks out over the Sea of Galilee and connects to Tsfad, the highest city in all of Israel.

Not long after it was settled by the 30 Jewish Romanian families, it came under the patronage of Baron Edmond James de Rothschild. He commissioned some beautiful, landscaped gardens that are open to the public to enjoy in this beautiful place.

In Rosh Pinna, there isn't a ton to see, but it's a beautiful town, and the Baron's garden is definitely worth seeing. I also got to walk through the 'old town', which is so cool. You can see original buildings like the synagogue, the administrative offices, and more. There's an arts community there, which is always fun to explore.

My favorite part was going to Nimrod's Lookout, a memorial view point dedicated to Nimrod Segev, a young man who died in the Second Lebanese War. The observation terrace itself has a beautiful view (see pics at the top of this post and this one below). 

But when a man walked up to my friends and I and asked if we knew the story of this lookout, we were surprised to find out he is the father of the young man who it is named for. He told us the story of his son, and how he fought bravely for Israel. It was powerful to hear his story and to be able to honor him and his son by listening and appreciating the view point.

If you are ever in the Upper Galilee, Rosh Pinna is a beautiful spot you don't want to miss!