February 28: Third Sunday in Lent

RCL   Psalm 63:1-8  "A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah." (Compare Isaiah 55:1-9) 

En Gedi (National Park)

When David fled from Saul to hide here in the tenth century (1 Samuel 24) En Gedi was uninhabited, but in the seventh century Judean kings founded a town which lasted until the Babylonian Exile. While resettlement during the Persian period did not endure, the Hasmoneans (second century BCE) made the oasis a royal estate and administrative center. Sadly, Zealots from Masada invaded En Gedi to steal agricultural supplies during Passover in 68 CE and slaughtered over 700 women and children, but a vibrant Jewish community was reborn here during the third through sixth centuries CE until it was destroyed by Byzantine Christianity’s own brand of zealotry. Jews returned to En Gedi in 1949, settled in 1953, and the kibbutz was founded three years later.
The draw to this magnificent place is the same today as then: date farms atop the gorgeous view, the therapeutic waters of the Dead Sea, the low altitude with its mineral enriched atmosphere, the cultivation of aromatic plants, such as the ancient persimmon (balsam) for perfumes, and medicinal herbs. In Song of Songs 1:14 the lovers celebrate the henna blossoms of En Gedi, and Ezekiel 47 envisions the restorative waters flowing from the Temple Mount by way of the Kidron Valley into the Dead Sea to freshen its waters at En Gedi during the dawn of the Messianic Age. Marc Anthony in his passion for Cleopatra gave her this mystical site which is still called today “nature’s creation.”

Visit to the ancient synagogue is accessible to all. Discovered accidentally by the kibbutz in 1965, the site’s excavations begun in 1970 are ongoing. The bet kneset, as it is called in Hebrew, the spiritual and communal center of Jewish life, was begun in the third century CE atop the ruins of the Second Temple Jewish community that had lived here, and it and stood, through expansions and renovations, until the sixth century CE. Follow the National Park brochure route past a mikveh, basin, and into the synagogue which is oriented toward Jerusalem by the Holy Ark housing the Torah Scroll in the north wall. Just behind the Ark is a tiny geniza and just beside it the Seat of Moses and just in front of it the bimah from which the Torah was read. Stepped rows of seats are on the facing south wall. Columns form three aisles surrounding a central mosaic. This synagogue is more conservative than its Galilean counterparts in that it depicts no human or Greco-Roman mythological images but only leaves, birds, peacocks, grapes, menorahs, and geometric designs. Similarly, the Hebrew and Aramaic inscriptions in the mosaic floor of the western aisle (described in detail in the park brochure) include the motif of the zodiac popular in Byzantine/Talmudic era synagogues but only by listing their names without their signs, along with biblical characters and blessings. Most interesting and unique is a “curse” or warning in the third panel: “...Anyone causing a controversy between a man and his friend, or whoever slanders his friend before the Gentiles, or whoever reveals the secret of the town to the Gentiles - He whose eyes range through the whole earth and Who sees hidden things, He will set his face on that man and on his seed and will uproot him from under the heavens. And all the people said: Amen and Amen Selah.” The mysterious secret was the key to the town’s economic welfare: the distilling of a rare and intoxicating perfume from the ancient persimmon (balsam) plant.

The entrance to Nakhal (Wadi) David is separate from that of the synagogue but also on the National Park ticket; be sure to acquire the very informative “En Gedi National Park” brochure and hiking guide upon entering. There is absolutely no smoking or eating in the park, and as always in Israel’s nature reserves respect the flora by looking but not picking and the fauna by being quiet (going early might avoid large groups of Israeli school kids). The first part of the walk up the wadi is wheelchair accessible and should be enjoyed by all; it goes up to the first waterfall. Then the hike begins, up, up, up many stairs cut into the rock but passing by several other gorgeous waterfalls produced by David’s Spring. The entire hike up to David’s Fall and back to where you started is a circular path that takes, with some rest stops and enjoying the scenery, about an hour and a half.

If you have more time and the athletic ability, on the return loop from David’s Fall, make a sharp right on the trail to the En Gedi Spring and walk up to the Chalcolithic (copper age) temple (c. 3000 BCE). Serving as a central shrine for desert peoples before there was a town here, it is amazingly typical of ancient Near Eastern temple design which extended into the biblical period: a courtyard around a central basin leading to a rectangular temple building with an altar, where ash and animal bones were found, centered against the rear wall. Even if you are not an archaeology buff, the view from here is amazing. Numerous other hikes of varying difficulties are outlined clearly in the nature reserve brochure, including nearby Wadi Arugot with its own entrance kiosk. Keep in mind sunset times and that entrance to the nature reserve may not be allowed if you arrive less than two hours before closing time.

Without a doubt the place to stay to get the most out of your experience of the Judean Wilderness is Kibbutz En Gedi Guest House adjacent to the National Park and within the nature reserve; tel. 08-6594222, see http://www.ein-gedi.co.il/en. En Gedi means “Spring of the Kid” and the indigenous mountain goat or ibex may greet you on your way to dinner or on the put-put golf course or beside the pool, while local conies or rock badgers scamper more along the remote paths outside the Guest House campus, which is replete with local and migrating birds and over 1,000 varieties of flora in one of the world’s finest botanical gardens. A tour of the garden is available which includes the history of the kibbutz and a commentary on the future of the kibbutz movement. I recommend that you block out a few nights during your study tour to stay here and make it your base for exploring the south of Israel (Negev). This is also the best place to experience and enjoy the healthy gifts of the Dead Sea, its minerals and blood-pressure-lowering altitude, through a swim, baths, and numerous massage options. Schedule at least one free day! (The Kibbutz Guest House does not accept group reservations for less than two nights.)