Ideas for Tours of Israel : Golan Tour

Looking for something new in Israel that you will not normally see on a standard tour ?

You should visit the beautiful region of the Golan.  This is radically different from any other visit to Israel, the volcanic soil and amazing view across the Golan plateau make it unlike any  other region in Israel.

This is a very versatile tour; allowing for changes based on the need of the group. This would be the perfect family  tour for any time of year especially the Jewis holiday season.

Description of the Day:

We start early in the morning for a picturesque ride to the North.

Ou first stop will be for a brief overview at the Gadot Lookout military memorial to explain the History and Geography of the area.

We begin a hike of the Jilabun stream at an abandoned Syrian military base (ideally before midday, when it gets too hot) we hike through a grove of Eucalyptus trees down a dirt path that follows the Jilabun stream past a beautiful waterfall to a pool, where we can have a nice dip! The route that we take is normally the circular route.

After lunch in Qatrsin we have a choice of a number, though not all, of the following options:

    • A visit to Golan wineries where we can sample some of the best wine that Israel has to offer at a world renowned vineyard.
    • A Tour of the Qatsrin Talmudic Village and at certain times of the year  we can participate in various hands on workshops about life in the time of the Talmud.
    • A Tour of the Golan Brewery, an experience unique to this region, where you can taste beers that completely change your perspective of Israeli beer.
    • An overview of the politics of the region at the Har Bental military base overlooking the demilitarized zone with Syria.
    • A visit to a Chocolate ‘farm’.

Contact me here for more details.

Podcast 4: Isaac and Rebecca: The Other Hebrew

Bibliography

Hittite Treaties and Letters, D. Luckenbill

The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures

Vol. 37, No. 3 (Apr., 1921), pp. 161-211

University of Chicago Press

Reflections on The Mitanni Emergence, G. Schwartz

Berlin Studies of the Ancient World, Vol. 17

The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis, A Zornberg

Image Books 1996

Studies in Bereishit, Nechama Leibowitz

Jerusalem, WZO, 1976

Pseudo Translation of Yonatan ben Uzziel:

http://targum.info/targumic-texts/pentateuchal-targumim/

Please see the main Bibliography for more.

Torah Portion and Spotlight on Nature: Yitro

 

A Griffon Vulture at the Hai Bar Nature Reserve near Haifa

 

“I Lifted you up on the Wings of the Nesher and brought you to me.” (Exodus 19:4)

In this week’s Torah Portion we discuss Moses going up Mount Sinai where the Eternal tells Moses to tell the Jewish People their divine purpose; to be a holy nation. He tells Moses to tell the Jewish people that he carried them on the wings of a bird called, in Hebrew, the Nesher.

Why I have n’t translated ‘Nesher’

The King James Bible translates ‘Nesher’ as eagle. This is mostly based in a European tradition identifying the Eagle as ‘The King of Birds’, the Eagle was the symbol of the Roman Empire and the Russian Empire. There is some zoological evidence to suggest that members of the Eagle family carry their children, though generally birds do not do this. However this identification does not fit other Biblical requirements. For instance, the Nesher, according to Micah 1:16 is supposed to be bald. Eagles (except for the American Bald Eagle which is not native to Israel an is not technically bald) do not tend to be bald, Vultures are. Vultures in Ancient Near Eastern folk tradition were associated with kingship. Vultures are also far larger than Eagles and have a larger ability to ‘pick stuff up’. One species, the Lammergeier or ‘Lamb Carrier’ in German, was even rumoured to carry away children.

Symbolism

The Symbolism of the Nesher is that its large wings are supposed to symbolise the eternal protection of the Eternal, know in Hebrew as the Shechinah.

For a more extensive explanation I encourage you to read Rabbi Natan Slifkin’s article on the subject.