Neot Kedumim, Biblical Reserve

Neot Kedumim, the Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel, is located halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The reserve is a re-creation of the physical setting of the Bible for visitors to see life as it was when people lived there 3,000 years ago.

Neot Kedumim is modeled after landscapes referenced in scripture and places are named such as "The Dale of the Song of Songs," "The Field of the Seven Species," "Forest of Milk and Honey" and "Isiaah's Vineyard." The reserve comprises 625 acres which was once barren.

In the 1920's, a family immigrated to Palestine and always dreamed of developing a Biblical landscape. With the help of their son, a physicist, tons of soil were trucked in, hundreds of varieties of plants were cultivated, wine presses and ritual baths were restored and even reservoirs were built to catch runoff rain water.

Try to imagine what Abraham and Sarah or the generation of Joshua might have seen when they entered the Land of Israel after forty years in the desert. Was it barren hills that still characterize so much of Israel today or could it have been quite different?

Photo: Sycamore-fig tree.

The Biblical “four species” include the citron tree, the date palm, the myrtle, and the willow and are all plentiful within the reserve and has over 80 different varieties of plants.

We accompanied the students and were met by a guide from the reserve. Neot Kedumin means "pleasant pastures of old." Tamarix aphylla grows as a tree to 60 feet in height. The tiny leaves along the branches exude salt and form a crusted layer on the surface and drip onto the ground beneath. The guide encouraged us to taste the needles of this tree. He explained that the tree absorbs salt from the soil and people who lived here so long ago would suck on the needles when they needed salt in their diets.

Seeing the type of vegetation that our forefathers saw, helped us to better understand the metaphors and lessons of the Bible in a way that only people who are personally familiar with the vegetation can fully grasp. Signs were posted throughout the reserve quoting Jewish texts in Hebrew and English. With plants right before our eyes, texts took on new life.

The buds (capers) of this plant are used in cooking. Mature caper bushes can grow three feet high and spread four or five feet. They require dry heat and intense sunlight to flourish.

Neot Kedumim or "Oasis of Antiquity" has signs along every trail on which are written verses or quotes from the Talmud. There are 63 books or essays in the Talmud. Orothodox Jews believe that along with the the written law on Mount Sinai that there was also an oral law. Both are sacred and both comprise what is referred to as the Torah.

Psalm 128 refers to the blessing of being fruitful and having many children (“Your children will be like olive shoots surrounding your table,” 128:3). If you find an olive tree and look at its base you will usually see many little olive shoots. This particular tree wasn't growing and was dead, so another tree was planted inside.

There is a sweet story about Rebecca in Genesis 24 and how she became the wife of Isaac. For Isaac and Rebekah, it was a tender beginning. Abraham was old when the story began and the Lord had richly blessed him with land, flocks, herds, maids, and servants but he had one concern: his son, Isaac was not married and he wanted posterity. Therefore, he called for his trusted servant, Eliezer, and asked if he would go to northern Mesopotamia and look for a wife for Isaac.

He said, however, he was not to take a wife from the Canaanites because they were evil and cursed by God. Eliezer made the promise to Abraham that he would do his very best to find a bride for Isaac and chose ten of Abraham's 10 very best camels loaded with supplies. He also packed several expensive gifts to give to the young lady to whom he would bring back as the chosen wife. When Eliezer reached the city of Nahor (in the country of Mesopotamia), he stopped to pray. He asked God to show him the right one when he asked one of them for a drink of water. If a young woman offered him drink and also for his camels, he knew she would be the young lady chosen to be Isaac's wife.

Just as Eliezer finished his prayer and stood up, the young ladies from the city of Nahor came to the well. They were talking and laughing and didn't even notice the stranger standing nearby. Eliezer noticed one particular young woman and approached her saying, "I have traveled a long way and am thirsty. May I please have a drink?" She smiled and gently replied, "Yes, I will give you a drink and I will also give all your camels water to drink." She quickly filled her pitcher with water and gave it to Eliezer. When he had finished, she filled the pitcher, then poured the water into a bucket and gave it to the lead camel. Then she went back to the well and refilled the pitcher for the next camel and repeated this over and over until all ten of the camels had enough water to drink. (This would have taken her considerable time and effort.) Right then Eliezer knew his prayer had been answered.

When all the camels were finally finished drinking, Eliezer reached into a pouch and took out a beautiful golden earring and two lovely golden bracelets and gave them to the young lady as a thank you gift. He then asked her name and asked if her father might have an extra room at his house so he could spend the night. She said, "My name is Rebekah and I am the daughter of Bethuel. Nahor is my grandfather" and invited him to bring his camels to her house because they had plenty of straw and food for them.

Eliezer bowed his head and worshipped the Lord right there at the well because his prayer had been answered and God led him exactly where he needed to be. He knew this was the right family and from Rebekah's actions of patiently giving water to all ten of his camels, he knew for certain that she was the right young lady to take home to be a bride for Abraham's son, Isaac. The story continues and if you are interested, you can read about how Isaac and Rebecca met and what happened after that. This is one of my favorite scripture stories.

We were standing at a well similar to the type where Rebecca would have been and students had the opportunity to lower a bucket and pull it up full of water. We soon realized this was not an easy task and for Rebecca to do this for Eliezer and his 10 camels, it took a strong young woman. Rebecca, one of our students, was the first to try and I followed her. Having tried, we realized this was not easy and it would have been hard work.

One of my favorite spots in Neot Kedumim was the sheep and goat pen where we were invited to move the animals from point A to point B. We were divided into groups and taught the method of moving sheep and goats and soon found it this was not easy.

Shepherding is not simple! If the sheep aren't familiar with where you want to move them, you need several people to act as herders. You drive them from behind but need to do so slowly, calmly and quietly.

Sheep are actually quite smart and can learn vocal commands or to recognize the rattle of a feed bucket. I kept thinking of Omer who from the age of five had a heard of sheep of his own in Sudan. He had to take care of up more than 100 hundred at a time and stay with them at night and watch over them. I certainly gained an even greater appreciation for his experience as a nomad in Sudan before he came to America.

Dane Jensen was successful catching a goat as well as a few other students. In the ancient world, being a shepherd was evidently the ideal training ground for leadership as Abraham, Moses and David were all shepherds. We walked away with a renewed sense of understanding and awe with regard to the Shepherd of all mankind. (To be continued . . . . )

Piano Recital

We had a very interesting experience recently with a musician from one of our Sunday night concerts. He was a pianist from Germany and he flew in his own grand piano! Because we already have a wonderful Steinway concert grand gracing our stage, it seemed quite unusual.

The piano arrived at the JC at noon and it was necessary to tune it three times in the next 6 hours. Moving a piano can greatly affect its tuning, not to mention putting it on an airplane then transporting it via truck. A fine piano is a work of art. Therefore, to negligent a piano after moving is a crime against a beautiful piece of expensive craftsmanship. (A Beckstein baby grand piano, depending on its size, can easily cost up to $100,000!) The most common cause of a piano going out of tune is the fluctuation of temperature and humidity. The best temperature for a piano is the same as the comfort of a person. Inside each case is a very complex piece of machinery with up to 12,000 parts carefully engineered into an elaborate assembly of parts containing up to 40,000 pounds of string pressure!

For anyone owning a fine piano, if a piano is allowed to go from Spring to Winter without tuning, it will probably drop in pitch. We tune our piano at the JC every 3 months and sometimes more often, depending upon the humidity and upcoming concerts. In our home in Arizona, we tune our Steinway in the winter about two weeks after we have turned on our heater and then again in the summer, about two weeks after we turn on our air conditioner. Maintenance on a fine piano is a must and no different than taking care of an expensive automobile.

The instrument was a Beckstein piano and since nobody was in the auditorium, I couldn't resist trying it out. The Beckstein piano company was established in Berlin, Germany, in 1853 by Carl Beckstein and by the late 1800's had won awards and endorsements of famous pianists and composers.

Saleem Abboud Ashkar was warming up when I walked into the auditorium one hour before his concert. I asked if I could take some photos and he gave me permission to do so and it's always fun meeting musicians who perform on our stage. He graciously shared a little about his family. He is married and has 7 year old twin daughters and lives in Germany with his family. His parents, however, live about two hours from here near Tel Aviv.

Saleem Aboud Ashkar performed on our stage in 2009 but this time he also brought a film crew. He is filming a movie about Beethoven and I could better understand his desire to perform on the Beckstein piano and especially after learning that the Beckstein piano company is underwriting his film and 3 other concerts in Israel! Saleem and his crew asked for permission to return the next day for a private interview. Since we were on a field trip with the students, we unfortunately never saw it.

Saleem made his debut in Carnegie Hall at the age of 22 and has since worked with many of the world's leading orchestras throughout Europe and the US. He also performs regularly with famous orchestra conductors. His first CD featured Beethoven's 1st and 4th piano concertos which were recorded live with Ivor Bolton and the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra. His 2nd piano CD, released in 2014, features Mendelssohn's piano concertos and has attracted widespread acclaim.

His program consisted of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas No. 2, No. 6, and No. 30.

Saleem performs regularly in Berlin, Prague, Newcastle (England) and Italy. A dedicated recitalist and chamber musician, he appears in venues in Amsterdam, London, Salzburg, Vienna and Milan.

He is ambassador to a Music Fund which supports musicians and music schools in conflict areas and developing countries. Our students are privileged to have the opportunity to attend the concerts, to meet the musicians and when the opportunity arises, have a photo taken with them.

Before the program began, Garth and I had the privilege of meeting his parents. They were charming and graciously invited us to visit them whenever we are able to get away. Since they live near Tel Aviv, we would need an entire day for a visit. Our next concert isn't until July 3 and it will be the first in the Summer Concert Series. We are presently preparing for the opening of a new art exhibit so there is always a lot to do around here. However, we are grateful we can be engaged in such productive work and seriously doubt anything we would be doing in Arizona could even compare to this experience!

Benedictine Monastery

The Benedictine Monastery is a well preserved Crusader remains in the country. This Gothic church was built in 1140 but was acquired by the French Government in 1899 and placed in the guardianship of French Benedictine Father. This hidden treasure is located at the heart of the Arab village of Abu Gosh near Jerusalem and near the Church of Our Lady of the Ark, from my previous post. The monastery belongs to the ancient Catholic order founded by Saint Benedict in Italy in the 6th century.

In 1873, the church was given to the French Republic and in 1900 a monastery was built next to the church by French Benedictine monks and in 1901 the Benedictine monks came to the Holy Land. We were met by a monk in brown robes when we entered the area of the monastery and church.

The courtyard of the church is lovely and consists of many gardens. The location is actually Emmaus, the town where Jesus and his disciples travelled through when leaving Jerusalem. Luke 24:13-35 places the setting on the evening of the day of Jesus' resurrection. Cleopas, a follower of Jesus, and a companion were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a distance of 7 miles, and as they were talking events of the past few days regarding Jesus' empty tomb that was found earlier that day, a stranger joined in their discussion. They did not recognize him and He rebuked them for their disbelief of that event and then explained prophecies about the Messiah to them.

When they reached Emmaus, they invited the stranger to join them for their evening meal. When He broke the bread, "their eyes were opened" and they recognized Him as the resurrected Christ but right then He vanished. Cleopas anxiously returned to Jerusalem to tell the other 11 disciples that Jesus was truly alive. While he described what he and his companion had experienced with the resurrected Christ, Jesus appeared to all who were there. He gave them a commission to spread the word and evangelize and took them out to Bethany (about 2 miles) where He blessed them before ascending back into heaven. Because of this event, this is why the church was built here.

There was a sweet little nun working outside in the garden. She was pruning some of the bushes and seemed to be focused on making the gardens beautiful.

In 1956, the property changed hands and has been run by the Lazarist Fathers ever since. Today both nuns and priests worship in the church and offer wonderful hospitality to all who visit. There is a small gift shop where we bought a small boat shaped bowl carved out of olive wood. All of the wood carvings we've seen in Israel have been of olive wood.

In the garden and in the walls of the church, there is a little spring that flows through it. According to Christian tradition, the spring was the biblical site of Kiryat Yearim. Kiryat Yearim is the place where the Ark of the Covenant was left when the Philistines returned it before being taken up to the Temple Mount. Remember when I talked about this in the previous post and we saw the Church of Our Lady?

According to the Bible, it is from this place that King David then carried the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. (Samuel 2:6)and when he did, there was much rejoicing in song and dance.

The monastery's walls and columns feature lovely frescoes that were painted during the 13th century and are surprisingly preserved. In the church crypt, you can also see the walls the Crusaders built, some are as thick as 11.5 feet and a spring flows through the crypt.

The frescoes were damaged by humidity and by deliberate defacement when almost all of the faces were removed. They were painted by a Byzantine artist between 1150 and 1174. The frescoes have been cleaned and restored as much as possible. Although the monastery is Catholic, the frescoes were done by Greek Orthodox artists in Byzantine style.

The crypt was built on two levels: the upper level where the chapel is and a lower level around a spring's overflow and also where people could gather privately to worship.

We assumed this must be a baptistry because there was water in the font.

Six daily prayer sessions are held at the monastery, from 5:30 A.M. to 8:30 P.M. and a sign was posted that visitors are welcome. The prayers are sung in traditional Gregorian chant, a form of monophonic or sacred music sung acappella .

While we were admiring the beautiful frescoes and sitting quietly, a group of tourists came in. Then three musicians took their place in an area at the back of the sanctuary and played some hymn tunes on wooden flutes. The acoustics were wonderful and we enjoyed their music.

I wondered if there could be an organ here and after looking closely at a brightly painted cabinet, I discovered it housed a very small pipe organ and to the side I found a small console. If you look very closely in the left top corner, you will see some pipes of the organ. I would assume that because the doors of the cabinet are hinged, when the organ is played the doors would be opened to expose the pipes. I'll bet there is a fascinating history behind it.

The console was locked but if it had been open, I would have asked for permission to play it. It was powered by electricity.

The courtyard consists of 7.5 acres of gardens along with an orchard, olive and pine trees. Nine monks currently live in the monastery and 12 nuns live in the building next door. Most of their day is spent in religious study, prayer and working in the garden, as well as in the ceramic and candle factory on the premises. I am grateful that we have the opportunity to visit so many interesting places in Israel and to be able to walk in places that have so much history.