Another Weekend Is Passed

Hey everyone,

Well, it was quite an eventful weekend. Beer Sheva got hit by a bomb (no one died), and it's supposed to be one of the safest cities in Israel. Now that I'm over here, hearing about these bombings makes me feel different. I feel completely safe here, but it's amazing to think that just a few miles away, someone attempted to take lives....

As for the weekend, I enjoyed THREE movies - talk about overdose! I watched Lord of the Rings (Return of the King) with some brownies and ice cream on Thursday night, The Princes Bride on Friday night, and The Count of Monte Cristo on Saturday night. I know, wasting too much time, BUT I did get to enjoy some popcorn (I burned it a little:-( on Saturday night). From now on, I may try to spend my Friday nights at the cotel (Western Wall). We'll see....

Hebrew is coming along. I bless G-d that an 85 or above is an "A" over here;-) It's a great feeling to look at a test score, see an 85% and know that it's an "A"!

I'm also reading a book in my spare time called "Jesus" by David Flusser. It's interesting on several levels, but the main reason I find it so amazing is that it's by a Jew. (By the way, David Flusser knew 26 languages and gave lectures in 9 of them. He knew Greek and Hebrew backwards and forwards, and I'm told once said, "Any Christian who doesn't read all four Gospel accounts once a week is a hypocrite!" If that doesn't inspire you to read your Bibles, I don't know what will!) A leading expert on Jesus, yet sadly, he never acknowledged that Jesus was/is the Messiah. He died in 2000 or 2001.

Have a great week, and know that there's a ton I'm learning but just not sharing;-) (OK, that may be a hyperbole;-)

Shalom,

Geoff

Service at the Holy Sepulchre

I forgot to mention this; how crazy is that! I went to an Italian (I think) service there, and it was ok. Needless to say, I and my two other friends stuck out like sore thumbs, but it was a good experience. We also walked around a bit and of course saw the traditional burying place of Jesus. Now for those who don't know, there's a whole lot of tradition around that spot, but it's still questionable - considering it was marked about 300 years after Jesus' death. It is, however, a very likely spot.

I'll tell you what I know (don't worry, since my knowledge is limited, it will be short) about what's up with different sites around Israel concerning Jesus. Constantine of course made Christianity a legal religion in the Roman Empire with the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. There's little evidence to support him ever becoming a Christian as far as I know, and later he sent his mother away (Helena) to the Promised Land while he murdered a son and a wife. Helena knew about this, so she was looking (possibly) for any pagan site she could smash down and raise a church building. The oldest and probably most accurate tradition is at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. A church was meeting in the cave for several hundred years (perhaps as recently as 20-30 years after Jesus' death!), and they held that to be the spot of Jesus' birth. No one knows for sure, but then again, I don't think it matters. The fact that these places have been marked for hundreds of years and held as the places of different stages in Jesus' life makes me appreciate the history behind them.

How's that for a short history lesson:-) Have a great weekend, and I'm going to buy some food!

Shalom,

Geoff

Yikes! A Week Has Passed

Hey everyone,

Well, this is my first blog on this site (I copied and pasted the others), and thus far, I'm liking it much more. It's nice to know that everyone I've put on the emailing list (don't worry, your emails are safe with me;-) can read this by clicking on the link in the email. Life is soooo good!

My sister (Caryn aka #4) has, as far as I know has arrived in Oxford! It's crazy to think that she's closer in hours and time to me than she is to my family! I think she may pop over sometime in October, which really works out well since I have a month break then.

"What about the rest of the fam?!" you may ask. Good question. I have two other siblings in college (Amber - #2 and Jon - #3), one in high school (Keith - #5), and two in grade school (Kevin - #6 and Anne - #7). How don't know how my Mom and Dad hold together! ;-) Mom is working as a teacher and Dad is a children's minister - rather appropriate, don't you think.

As for me, I'm going to make some brownies and several of us dudes are going to watch either Return or Fellowship tonight while chowing down on some brownies and ice cream. Life's so rough;-) Yeah, we'll be passing by the Old City and watching the movie in the German Colony. Jerusalem is incredible!

Until next time...

Shalom,

Geoff

www.ge-offnisrael.blog-city.com

Shalom everyone,

I'm REALLY sorry to do this, but I've decided to swith sites. You can see my blog at:
www.ge-offnisrael.blog-city.com This site gives emails when I update, and I like that better. If you simply place your name on the emailing list (PLEASE don't make it anonymous - I like to see who I'm emailing, and I'm the only one that can see it;-) you will receive an email automatically every time I update. Sweet eh? Matok! bivrit. (Sweet! in Hebrew;-)

Have a great weekend!

Shalom,

Geoff

As for my weekend...

As for my weekend, I went through Hezekiah's tunnel. I tried to go in the dark, but there was a large group ahead of me and a large one behind me - needless to say, they all wanted lights;-)

That was Thursday afternoon. Friday morning/early afternoon, I explored the Southern Steps/Hulda Gates where Jesus would have walked up onto the Temple Mount. Quite exciting to hang around there, and of course, very impressive! We also visited the Church of All Nations where tradition says (a late tradition - 380 AD) that Jesus prayed on the rock which makes up the alter. We also went down into the tomb of Mary, and I don't know how that works because tradition says that she was assumed.... Who knows? OH, and we saw zillions (ok, that's a small hyperbole) of Muslims go onto the Temple Mount; Friday is their holy day.

That's enough for now; time to work on Hebrew;-)

Shalom,

Geoff

Due to popular demand...

Several have asked about posting without membership. I've adjusted the setting, so feel free to comment to your hearts content;-) Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to get this thing to email people when I've updated. I may switch services, but not now - maybe in October when I have a month off!

Many of you have also asked about the Pull-Out taking place. The general feeling is one of sorrow and empathy from almost all sides. One cannot watch these people torn from their houses without feeling pangs of some kind, so whether someone is for or against it, most feel sad for the people forced out. That is coming from both Jews and Arabs. Of course, the ones who have million-dollar homes right next to poverty I have a hard time empathizing with them, but for those who have become good friends with neighbors, I really feel sorry for them. Once again, whether one is for or against the pull-out for whatever reasons - theologically, politically, socially, whatever - most people feel really sorry for those getting kicked (GRACIOUSLY - the soldiers have done a superb job) out of there homes.

OK, you can comment to that if you wish:-)

Learning...

In the midst of learning Hebrew at Hebrew U, other opportunities present themselves. One such opportunity springs from my desire to see how Jews interpret/study the Scriptures. A girl from London is going to go through the parashot (weekly readings of the Torah) with me as well as the readings for the holidays. This will give me an opportunity to see how better to ask questions of the text and HOPEFULLY give me a small glimpse into the way Jesus looked at the Tanakh (I don't know how to spell it in English:-).

For those who may be concerned, I'm not looking to convert:-) Also, please don't get any ideas of me running off with a Jewess here;-) Remember, I like pork and cheeseburgers WAAAAY too much!

More to come, but first, I must study for another big test for tomorrow!

Shalom,

Geoff

Back to School

So I made it back from Galilee safe and sound; well, I never had much to worry about. The trip rocked! We went to Ceasarea first (the one on the coast), then we made our way up to Mount Arbel to watch the sunset. After the sunset we enjoyed some food in Tiberias (a very difficult thing to accomplish on a Shabbat - especially one before a holiday). We then went swimming in a random place along the shore of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). Other than the fact that there were reeds all over the place (hey, we swam for free), it wasn't too bad. We decided to stay there for the night - a good idea to behold - however, we had some party dudes randomly show up at 1:30Am and drink to a bad point and play their music really loud. Needless to say, we weren't too rested up for the following day.

Saturday came, however, (yes, very early to watch the sunrise over Galilee), and we ate breakfast at a convenient store and headed to Tobgha where it is said that Jesus multiplied the 5 loaves and two fish. An old tradition, but as most are, probably not very reliable. We also hit Capernaum, and Korazim, and we swam in the Jordan (where we did Mikvah as a tour group!). We decided to enjoy a sundowner at Susita where so much has been uncovered since I was there in May. Afterwards we went swimming again in a random spot in the Kinneret and headed up Mt. Arbel to sleep.

Sunday, we made a quick pass by Qumran - not bad. I went through the aquaduct again, and we climbed for a while.

Good trip. I'm extremely tired. I had a test gadol (big) today in class. And I am very hungry! But don't worry, if you want more info, post a comment and I'll tell you!

Shalom,

Geoff

HaGalil (the Galilee)

One glorious thing about traveling is spontaneity. I may head over to haGalil this weekend to visit some sites or something. Life is sooo much fun isn't it? Last night we had a going away party for two of the teachers at the Biblical Ulpan. They're going to the States to teach for 10 months. It's funny hearing words like, "Please bless Gary and Sharon as they teach ABROAD." Point-of-view is important (Star Wars VI:)! I never thought I would hear the States referred to as abroad. I love Israel!

Shalom,

Geoff

Scheduling

Well, it's taking some time getting used to the fact that weekends are Friday-Saturday and NOT Saturday-Sunday. It's interesting how culture influences things. Because the culture in Roman times had a day off on Sunday, it was only natural to meet on that day. So far, I haven't found a scripture that says they STOPPED meeting on Saturday, and I've only found 2 references (Acts 20:7; I Cor 16:2) that refer to the first day of the week (and those don't HAVE to be specifically tied to worship, though they could be). We also have scheduling conflicts with when a day starts. Notice in Gen 1 that "there was EVENING and there was MORNING, day...." In the Jewish calendar, the day starts at night, which opens up another big deal about the resurrection. I don't want to get into that now, and I really didn't mean for this to get into a big (I mean small;-) theological exposition. Considering the weight placed on the Sabbath in both the Hebrew Bible AND the New Testament, I can't help but think G-d is ok with worshiping him on Shabbat. This whole blog was free; no charge:-)

I had orientation yesterday, and I'm really excited about the upcoming year! More to come....

Shalom,

Geoff

Graduate Orientation

So I just completed a graduate school orientation, and I must express an exhilaration for the next two years. They provide a lot of flexibility, making this experience a very holistic one. I'll be learning a ton! We have an Orthodox Jewess in our class from London, and she said she would go through the weekly readings (parshot) (see Luke 4) with me. Hopefully we'll be reading in Hebrew eventually. It's exciting stuff!

Until next time....

Shalom,

Geoff

Classes Have Begun....

Well, I've now been in class for two days. I started at a level 8 Aleph, but I've moved down to level 6 where I can get a better foundation for the language. I take a test tomorrow over some vocab...ok, a LOT of vocab, but I'm REALLY excited about learning the language.

I'm in an apartment/dorm with 5 other guys, and I've enjoyed it! We're talking about how to decorate (I'm saying that with every ounce of masculinity within me;-) and what things we should do to be a light in our building. "We're not in Kansas any more Todo," and so we're going to try to shine bright:-) Fun and challenging and many times disheartening.

More updates to come!

Shalom,

Geoff

Baruch HaShem

Hey everyone,

The move and registration has gone smoothly. I moved in with two Jeff's and a Josh; and we've decided to call the G/Je(o)ff's Echad, Steim, Shalosh. Fun, eh? We've got a lot to purchase for our apartment because it came with absolutely nothing. I'm also discovering the necessity for a laptop computer. More loans, here we come!

I am grateful, however, to be moved in and to be starting school tomorrow. Hebrew U is a beautiful campus, and, common, how bad is it when you can walk out to an amphitheatre and on a good day see the Salt Sea? OR, to say you're living on Mt. Scopus (next to Mt of Olives) and see the Temple Mount? OK, I'm sorry for rubbing it in;-)

Shalom,

Geoff