After a good night’s sleep at Kibbutz Nof Ginnosar on the Kinneret, our day began in the mystical city of Tzfat (also spelled Tzefat, Tsfat, Zfat, Zefat, Sfat, Sefat, Safed, Safes, and Safad).
Tzfat is most famous as being the birthplace of Tali Aldouby-Schuck! Jared taught us that Tzfat was important in the life of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a strong critic of the Romans, who legend says fled to a cave to hide with his son where they buried themselves up to their necks in sand and studied Torah all day for 13 years. In addition, many important Spanish religious leaders and mystics came to Tzfat in the 16th Century following expulsion from Spain, and Tzfat was home to Rabbi Isaac Luria, considered the father of Kabbalah.
Rabbi Schuck taught us about the Kabbalistic belief of Tsim Tsum, how G-d contracted G-d’s self in order to create the world. He taught how humans can perform Tsim Tsum as part of Tikun Olam, where we contract ourselves in order to make space for others. The group shared a very powerful silence and moment of self-reflection.
After the heavy spiritual lifting, it was time for shopping. Most people took advantage of Tzfat’s artistic community to buy art, Judaica and gifts.
This afternoon was mostly about water. In the Galilee and the Golan, water is about both natural beauty and limited natural resources. First we experienced the beauty. For us, it has been most amazing to hike, swim, feel, smell, taste and just be in Eretz Yisrael. Most of the group hiked in the Hatzbani River, through rushing streams and over rocks. It was quite beautiful, but also physically challenging, and everyone in the group has been left with their own impressions. Next, we travelled downstream, literally, to the Jordan River where we launched rafts and floated and paddled down the river.
As the day was getting late, a planned ascent of the Golan to some old Syrian bunkers was turned into a bus-ride discussion. We learned that The Hatzbani, The Dan and The Banias Rivers merge to form the Jordan which runs into the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Israel’s main source of fresh water. The springs where the water originates are all right along Israel’s border with Lebanon and Syria. Being in this place, it is easy to understand how access to a life or death resource such as fresh water has been the source of conflict. We learned the story of Kamal Amin Ta’abet, the alias of Israel’s most famous spy, Eli Cohen. Eli Cohen infiltrated the upper reaches of the Syrian government in the early 1960’s and provided valuable intelligence that the Syrians were attempting to divert Israel’s water supply. This allowed the Israeli Air Force to bomb the Syrian project and disrupt the plan. Eli also got the Syrians to plant eucalyptus trees to hide their military fortifications from Israel. He was captured and hanged by the Syrians in 1965. From 1948-1967, Syria was able to harass and fire upon Israelis living in the northern Galilee from the Golan Heights. In the 1967 War, two years after Eli Cohen’s death, Israel was able to capture the Golan Heights in two days, partly due to the intelligence provided by Eli Cohen and the known location of the Syrian fortifications (which were under the eucalyptus trees).
All in all, this was another amazing day in Israel that filled us with natural wonder, spirituality and geo-politics.
The Collens Family
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