Magical Mystical Tour

We began our day in Safed, one of the holiest and prettiest cities situated in the mountains of the Holy Land (and that's saying a lot).  Safed is the birthplace of Jewish Mysticism (Kabbalah). The Rabbi credited with the Kabbalah and its spirituality was know as Ari, The Lion.  His synagogue is located here and is still active.

Above is the synagogue of Rabbi Yosef Cairo, the author of the Shulchan Aruch, the rule book of Jewish laws and minhagim   Above, our own spiritual leader, Rabbi Stecker  was explaining some concepts of the Kabalah and some of the Sephardic customs that were depicted in the synagogue's design.

Many of the residents of Safed, are transplanted Jews who have discovered their inner spirituality. There are Chabadniks, Lubavitch and just plain old Balei Tshuva.  Being caught up in the holiness of the city, Skyler and I were recruited to put on Tefillin this morning. I am proud to say that it was Skyler's initiative that got me to join in.

After a rafting trip down the Jordan River we embarked on a Jeep trip to the Golan Heights. Our guide had just returned from a one month reserve stint in a tank division nearby. We were informed of the strategic importance of this area as it pertains to military position and the valuable resources it contains and protects from its vantage point. It is now an area with flourishing plantings and cattle surrounded by natural beauty and remnants of its battle scarred history. We pulled up to some plum trees and ate our spoils of tour.

Our day encompassed spirituality, hiking, rafting and an up close look at a strategic military battleground.  Today was like many days rolled in to one. It was the Magical Mystical Tour equivalent of the miracle of Hannukah.  



-- Abe Kanfer