Israel: Northern
- Israel: Ancient Burial Sites, Israel: Holy Sites, Israel: Meron, Israel: Northern, Israel: Tsfat, Safed
A Visit To The Baal Shem Tov Forest And The Gravesite Of Rebbi Shimon Ben Menasya
Not far from our home in Northern Israel there is a forest called the Baal Shem Tov forest, and within that very forest is a very special place: the burial site of the Tanna, Rebbi Shimon Ben Manasya. We visited this site in the Spring (though I am just getting around to sharing it with you now, sorry about that!) and with not a soul in sight we enjoyed every minute of this little adventure! As it turns out, most of the burial spots of great sages tend to be located in special places with amazing views, and this site is no exception, you must visit sometime if you ever…
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When Life Is Like A Painting, So Why Not Paint?
I am very blessed to live in an ancient city, one of the four holy citys in Israel, that is packed with inspiration, natural beauty, and loads of really important history, loads and loads. My town also happened to become one of the well known artist colonies after israel became a country in 1948, and it is no wonder, with the fresh mountain air and great light! After living here for almost ten years, with another five year stint before I was married, I have at long last come to the conclusion that simply photographing all this beauty is not enough. I have become inspired to paint! So I'm gathering…
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The Historic Cave Of Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai
Above: View of the gorgeous topography of the Galillea, from a lookout point on the road to Pekiin, looking southeast. Tonight we ushered in the very special holiday of Lag B'Omer, which celebrates and honors our great sage Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, also referred to as Rashbi. So there is no better day than to share with you photos of our little trip to the town of Pekiin, to visit the cave where Rebbi Shimon and his son Elazar hid from the Roman persecuters after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. This is a very special spot, located actually on the other side of Mt. Meron from the…
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Remembering Fallen Soldiers And A Six Day War Memorial
Today is Yom HaZikaron, the memorial day for fallen soldiers here in Israel. Today is a solemn day, which is taken quite seriously by the general population, and enforced by the government with mandatory closing of stores and sirens sounding in every city, both last night and this morning. If one happens to be on the road, say in a big city or on a freeway when the siren sounds for one minute, it is really quite a moving experience, as traffic stops completely and drivers get out of their cars to stand in silence. What can I say? Today is a day of such raw emotion for our country,…
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The Gravesite Of Elkana, Father Of Shmuel HaNavi
This Passover vacation we took small trips close to home, and at long last visited some favorite sites that I hadn't been to in at least 15 years, and thus had yet to share with my little ones. Introducing one of my all time favorites, the burial cave of Elkana, the father of Shmuel HaNavi (Samuel the Prophet)! It is almost hard to wrap one's head around the fact that this site, on the road between Tsfat and Meron, in the Northern Gallilee area called Kadita, is thousands of years old! (!0th Century BCE) As with all historic burial caves, a small building has been erected over the cave, to…
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The Idra Raba Cave Of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai Near Meron
This Passover holiday I have the personal goal of visiting some of the many holy sites that are very close to our home and that I have visited many years ago, but never with my family! We pass the Idra Raba Cave every time we visit Meron, and yet I have never been successful at getting my husband to stop the car for a visit. Until yesterday that is, when this very special historical spot was actually our destination! The Idra Raba Cave can be found on the Tsfat-Meron road, around 10 minutes west of Tsfat, and was discovered by the Ari HaKodesh, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria in the 16th century!…
