Day 3
We woke up to a rainy morning to first go on a nature hike through the ancient Temple of Pan and the ruins of the Palace of Agrippa. The Temple of Pan was known as a famous site for predicting the future. People would bring goats to sacrifice in the cave in which the temple was built, where there used to be a deep spring. If the goat sank into the spring, that was a good omen, but if the goat did not sink and there was blood in the water, that was a bad omen. But, the cave has dried up so I guess we must accept that we can never see the future.
The Palace of Agrippa was built during the Roman Empire under Agrippa the second, and the vast ruins have weathered the test of time. Among them, we saw a flour mill, a Syrian tower, and a series of tunnels and aqueducts where Roman soldiers would rest during the winters. Though it was a wet hike, the fog and rain provided a beautiful backdrop to the historical ruins, and I personally loved seeing the Roman history mixed with the nature of Israel.
We next traveled to the city of Tzfat for a busy afternoon in the mystical artist town located (on this day, at least) among the clouds. First on the agenda was listening to Jewish folk music played on traditional instruments. After lunch, we explored the teachings of Kabbalah by visiting two different synagogues, the synagogue of Rabbi Yosef Caro and the synagogue of Rabbi Ari Ashkenazi, and in between, we visited an artist, originally from Michigan, who paints visual representations of the different teachings of Kabbalah. These different sites explored how different parts of Kabbalah combine to (metaphorically) bring God down to earth; how it is mankind's job to piece the broken parts of the universe back together; and how meditation and spirituality are embedded in and accessible through Jewish theology. In addition to these spiritual explorations, we had time to shop and explore the unique city. In my experience, at least as an American, the shopping and spirituality went hand in hand.
We finished the night with a talent show organized and hosted almost entirely by two motivated trip participants. There were a range of talents, including performance art, lip syncing, dancing, acrobatics, and our tour guide Neta playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" entirely by bopping his hand on the top of his head. It was a wild show that provided a fun closer to our time at the Kibbutz Moran, which we will be leaving in the morning.
