Summer break! (Israel Update, with a bit of Jewish Thoughts)

This is mostly an update on the last week or so, though there is a little bit of theological/philosophical discussion in the middle. Also, I updated my pictures! Check them out here: http://s1170.photobucket.com/albums/r529/EricLAbbott/

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Well I had my last day of classes last Thursday (8/23), and thus started summer break! It's only a week long, but hey, it's not bad--I've been able to get around and travel and I've been able to relax--win-win!

Let's start with last Thursday, though, because it was not a normal Thursday. It started at 5am when Sam got to my apartment. Yay!

Every Thursday up until last week we had a Biblical History trip and lesson. This Thursday we had our lesson, but it was then followed by a "review and discussion panel." I assumed that we would be talking about the final exam, reviewing material, etc. Instead, it was something much better. Our teachers sat in front of both classes and brought up a topic that has been on most of our minds in some way, shape, or form: After learning about all this archaeological evidence that says that many of the stories in the Bible didn't happen the way it says they did (or perhaps didn't even happen at all), how do we deal with it? How do we as Reform Jews and future Jewish leaders reconcile this?

There were lots of good answers from different students. Some were a way to answer that question, some were a way to look at why we are even asking the question, and some weren't even answers but brainstorming out loud. I tried to copy down what they said as best as possible (paraphrased, of course). Here are some examples (I don't necessarily agree or disagree with all of these):

• It's less important to ask whether something in the Torah did or did not happen than to ask what it means to us. It doesn't matter if it did or didn't happen, what matters is how we relate to the text.
• As future Jewish leaders, it's important that we struggle with the text now, so that we can help others struggle with it later. If we didn't approach these questions, how can we handle a congregant who does ask them?
• Even if this is an important question, it shouldn't be the thread that unravels our whole Jewish identity. It shouldn't be the be-all end-all of someone's Jewish identity. Even if this is the basis of Judaism, there's now so much more to it than that.
• Maybe you can ask someone who is struggling with Judaism: What do you like about Judaism? What's your favorite part? How does Judaism make you feel? Whatever they say, you can respond that this all happens to you despite the fact that the Torah may or may not be based on historical fact.
• Even if the Torah is not "real," it has still affected our history and influences our daily life, so that's important. The real question isn't "Is this real?" but "How can we take this and affect the future?"
• The stories of Gilgamesh and Noah are very similar: how can we believe in this story when it seems to have a common origin with many other stories in the region from that time? It doesn't seem to be a "unique" story, you could say. Yet the "Story of Noah" is a Jewish story, even if it has non-Jewish origins. It's not about how or when or by whom it was written, but about how we wrestle with the text, how we find a Jewish meaning in the text.
• This book is our book. Even with archaeological evidence proving it "wrong," it doesn't matter, because it's still our book. Our role as the Jewish People is to struggle with this book.
• It's like a play. The actors don't say "I'm acting right now, but you should listen to what I have to say" before each line. They simply say the line. They act, and you know they're acting, and yet you are drawn in. In a way this is also what we do. At services, for example, we get drawn in with the prayers, the music, and the stories, and we suspend belief to become part of the story. It becomes real.

As you can see, this was important for me, too. It didn't affect me nearly as much as some people, but it still did get to me a bit. Fortunately the discussion panel helped, and I'm sure the next five years will help, too.

After the discussion panel and a session on the month of Elul and the High Holy Days, I went home and hung out with Sam, and we packed for our trip to Eilat and Petra!

At the beach!

View from our hotel (not our room)
of Eilat.

We left bright and early Friday morning and took a bus from Jerusalem to Eilat. It was a five hour trip, but it wasn't so bad because there was a break half way through at a rest stop, and I slept and used my iPod. When we got to Eilat it was very, very hot--it hit 104 degrees (F) at one point. But we found a spot at the beach and relaxed for a while. Then we went to our hostel, showered, and walked the boardwalk. We ate dinner at a restaurant that specialized in American food (I ate chicken parm!). We also went on an awesome thrill ride, the type where you're in a cage that's attached with giant bungee cords to two poles, and they basically launch you like a slingshot (but connected). It was awesome!

Bungee cage ride

Saturday we left Eilat for Petra. Crossing the border was an experience, but not too difficult. The most interesting part was the actual zone between the two terminals, because on either side there were warnings of landmines (Israel and Jordan only made peace 18 years ago). Once we got to the Jordanian side we took a cab to Petra, which was extra expensive, partially because it was a two hour drive, partially because the Jordanian Dinar is doing better than the dollar, but mostly because the taxis at the border are all controlled by the Taxi Mafia, a guy who makes everyone use his service or he'll shut down their business. Our driver was really nice, though, and gave us a discount on the way back once we were out of the Mafia man's control. He did speed like crazy, though...

A view of Petra from the
chasm we hiked down.

Sam in her element!

At the Treasury (Al Khazneh) in Petra...where they filmed Indiana Jones!

Petra itself is beautiful. It's an ancient city from over 2,000 years ago that's settled in the mountains. After we got to our hotel and settled in, we went to the entrance, where we were able to ride horses from the main entrance to the beginning of the chasm. However instead of going the quick way through the chasm, we paid extra and went the long way up and over the mountains. Sam was really in her element here, riding her horse, while I was not...but I didn't fall off! In fact, we even got the horses to canter at one point (where I managed to stop it from running over a cliff!). I was sore afterward, but it was definitely tons of fun. Then at the end of our horse tour we got to hike down a canyon to the bottom of a valley, where there were probably hundreds of ancient tombs. There is also a roman amphitheater. We explored these for a while, and then headed back through the chasm toward the main entrance. It was here in the chasm that we came across the famous Treasury, Al Khazneh--where they filmed Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade! Unfortunately I couldn't go in and try to face the three tasks...

A view of many tombs in Petra.

The park closed around sunset, so we went home, cleaned up, and had dinner at a local restaurant with some Jordanian food. Sunday we checked out some of the gift shops (but they were all way overpriced, especially since the Jordanian Dinar is expensive to begin with), and then we began our long journey back to Jerusalem: a two hour cab ride back to the border at Aqaba/Eilat, traveling across the border, and then a five hour bus ride home. It was a long day and a long trip (even for just three days)--but amazing and beautiful!

Monday Sam and I explored the Old City of Jerusalem a bit, then bought some stuff for her apartment, and then we went up to Ramla so she could move in. Her apartment is better than we expected; it's hot and there are some weird design issues, but overall it's really not bad. Her roommates all seem nice (it's her and four other girls in the apartment). I helped her move in a bit, and then left. I'm not sure when I'll see her again but now that we're in the same country hopefully it'll be soon.

Then these last couple of days I stayed home and relaxed in Jerusalem. I got to climb for four hours on Tuesday, which was great, and it included leading, top roping, and bouldering. It felt (almost) like a session at home!

And that's pretty much it for now. I will hopefully be camping tomorrow and Saturday, and also hopefully get to drive. I'll keep you posted about that in the future.