Scriptures to read for this week’s Bible Study:
Parashah 20: Tetzavah (You are to Order)
(Complete Jewish Bible)
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Avir ©161207 (1374) -Avir at the Dead Sea Lookout
Avir has stopped for a while at this popular lookout, adjacent to the Dead Sea, to ‘do a photo shoot’ of this very ancient place. Avir also made good use of his binoculars, checking out the scenery along this stretch of water bordering Israel and Jordan to the East, which can just be seen in the distance behind Avir. The Dead Sea is 50 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide at its widest point. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its tributary is the Jordan River. The Dead Sea is 429 metres below sea level, is 304 metres deep and holds the record of being the lowest point on Earth, making it also the deepest saline lake in the world with 34.2% salinity, which is 9.6 times saltier than the ocean.
This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and animals cannot flourish, which is why its name is most appropriate. However, it may have to be renamed if the reports of life re-emerging in the waters prove accurate. In the Hebrew language, the Dead Sea is called Yam ha-Melah meaning sea of salt.
The Bible also mentions the Dead Sea in Genesis 14:3: “All the latter kings joined forces in the Siddim Valley, where the Dead Sea is”. History shows us that King Herod the Great made it one of the world’s first health resorts and even today the Dead Sea attracts many visitors from around the world, who apply the healing qualities of the mineral rich mud to their skin and relax in this geologically unique wonder.
– Para-shah 19 T’rumah (Contributions) –
(All references from The Complete Jewish Bible)
Revelation 8:3-4; Revelation 21:2-3
Copyright exists in all the material on this website and is owned by Messianic Education Australia Ltd. unless otherwise explicitly stated. This copyright extends to the images, logos, layout and presentation styles as well as the text material.
Avir-161123 -Avir in his favourite shop in Beersheva
What more can we say!
Messianic Education Australia MEA Avir in Israel, Weekly Picture from Israel 161123 Avir in his favourite shop in Beersheva, What more can we say
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Avir ©161130 (905) Avir checks out Herod’s Gate in the Old City
Avir is out and about in the Old City again, visiting places he hadn’t seen before, especially some of the quieter back streets with a few shops and vendors scattered along the way. Avir has stopped on Lion’s Gate Street for a few moments and realises that he has discovered Herod’s Gate which is located in the north-eastern section of the city. Common belief has it that the gate was named after Herod the Great who rebuild the Jewish Temple around 26 B.C.E. although other sources think it was named after his son, Herod Antipas.
Herod’s Gate is also know as Sheep’s Gate because it led to the sheep market in ancient times. The Sheep Gate is mentioned by Nehemiah, a Babylonian Jew who came to Jerusalem with his followers to rebuild the desolate city:
In Nehemiah 3:1 it reads: “Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel”.
Throughout the history of Jerusalem, Herod’s Gate has been a place of a non-stop bloodshed. Most invaders, including the Babylonians, Romans and Crusaders, came to Jerusalem from the North and inevitably had to use the Sheep’s Gate and adjacent walls to get into the City. On a more pleasant note, Herod’s Gate is also known as the Flowers Gate because of the floral designs engraved on the wall above the gate.