Hell Freezes Over

"When hell freezes over." is a term thrown around every once and awhile--probably not by anyone who reads my blog, but by some people. The colloquialism is meant to describe the impossible--however in my present condition it represents the all too painful reality.


I have heard tales of all the snow that people are receiving and have quietly chuckled to myself. Despite the unusually cold weather here, I have only needed to ever wear a jacket. Two days ago I woke up to see a veritable winter wonderland outside my window. While it was beautiful, I merely groaned and rolled over to stare at the wall and pretend it was nothing more than a dream.



Also by way of note, the reason I say that hell truly froze over is because there is an actual hell here. Which sets up nicely for my next story.

A couple of days ago, on one of those perfect days we have here I decided to Hell. It is a part of Jerusalem where the Kidron and Hinnom Valley meet. It has some symbolic meaning (obviously) since it is the lowest part of the area. It contrasts with the Temple Mount on Mt. Moriah and Mt. Zion which are two of the highest points in the city. Just for reference the valleys converge at the southeast corner of the city--very near where David's Jerusalem was located. The valleys are lined with cemeteries because the area is prophesied to be the location of judgment. Apparently everyone is anxious to be first in line for that day.


While in Hell, we came across a really interesting situation. We were walking by a goatherd when we saw him grab a goat by its feet and flip it on its back. It wasn't all that odd until he tied the legs of goat. Some of us thought that we were going to witness an animal sacrifice or something--right there in Hell. Much to our surprise he simply reached in the goat and pulled out a pair of kids. It was so crazy. For some odd reason I felt a need to pet the kids--odd i know, but for a couple of shekels the guy let me take some pictures. It was a pretty cool experience.


The other experience I wanted to share deals more specifically with the Temple--sort of. To set this up, let me remind you of a little history. When David became king he had the challenge of unifying Israel both politically and religiously. Part of his solution was to establish Jerusalem as the political capital and make it a religious center by moving the Ark of the Covenant there. It worked and the kingdom became unified.

On the the modern era. We went to a mount outside of Jerusalem called Mt. Herzl. It is located just above the Holocaust Museum. There is this really interesting parallel with Mt. Herzl and Mt. Moriah (the Temple Mount). I have already mentioned another David, David Ben-Gurian. When he became president he was faced with a similar problem that faced King David. Israel had just beat the Palestinians and were trying to establish a nation. The Jews had been separated from the Holy Land for nearly 2,000 years. They needed to establish a new identity and claim on a land they once inhabited. David Ben-Gurian brought the remains of Herzl to the mount. He was the man who began the Zionist movement. He established Mt. Herzl as a place similar to the ancient temple. It became a focal point for modern secular Jewish "worship." Obviously, there were no ordinances performed there, but they do most of their political ceremonies there.


Around this site large cedars were planted by dignitaries from countries that recognized Israel as a new nation, to stand as a witness of the action. The cedars are to parallel the cedars of Lebanon used to construct the ancient temple. Visiting the site I was really struck with how elegantly the Jews seem to mix symbolism into their society. Despite the fact that such references to ancient Israel are deliberate they are not tacky nor do they feel contrived. I mentioned this to Mom the other day and she mentioned how this seems to be part of their biblical heritage. It is neat to feel like I am witnessing the fulfillment of Biblical promises.