Travelujah_'s Blog http://www.travelujah.com/blogs/posts/Travelujah_ en-us Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:48:55 -0600 (c) 2012, http://www.travelujah.com/. All rights reserved. <![CDATA[Celebrating Tu B'Shevat - Plant a Tree]]> Tu Bishvat, the 15th of Shevat on the Jewish calendar, celebrated this year on Wednesday, February 8, 2012, is the day that marks the beginning of a "New Year for Trees." This is the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.


Traditionally, Tu Bishvat marked an important date for Jewish farmers in ancient times. It is written in the Scriptures, "When you enter the land [of Israel] and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten" (Leviticus 19:23). The fruit of the fourth year was to be offered to the priests in the Temple as a gift of gratitude for the bounty of the land, and the fifth-year fruit--and all subsequent fruit--was finally for the farmer. This law, however, raised the question of how farmers were to mark the "birthday" of a tree. The Rabbis therefore established the 15th of the month of Shvat as a general "birthday" for all trees, regardless of when they were actually planted.

 

There are so many fascinating experiences to be had in the Holy Land that it is difficult to call just one the "most unique," but going on a historical scavenger hunt in Jerusalem's Old City has got to rank pretty high on the uniqueness scale.


Pilgrimage tours to Israel are nothing new for many Christians. In fact, for some it is becoming old hat. And most Christian tour groups only get the opportunity to see Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land as a piece of antiquity, an impersonal history lesson. The team at Jerusalem Scavenger Hunts is determined to change that.


"It is easy to see Jerusalem as one big museum, but it's so much more - it is a real place where people live, love and die," Jerusalem Scavenger Hunts host Jeremy said as our team prepared to set off in search of historical gems in the Jewish Quarter of

 

The stamp design brings encorporates the past, present and future not only of the Technion, but also of the State of Israel,and illustrates the country's contribution as a science and technology pioneer.

 

The Technion's building façade, designed by on of Israel's pioneers in architecture, the Jewish-German architect Alexander Baerwald, one of the pioneers of modern Israeli architecture. is featured in the stamp.

 

Technion Stamp

Credit: Techni...]]> <![CDATA[Holy Land Christians Strive for Unity]]> One of the central themes of Jesus' ministry on earth was unity. Prior to his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus prayed that those who followed him "may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me." (John 17:20). But unity has often proved elusive, especially for the many Christian denominations represented in the small, but holy city of Jerusalem.


While all Christians may be united in faith, they are typically divided by doctrine. So fierce are those doctrinal divisions at times that they erupt into physical confrontations, such as the annual inter-denominational scuffle during the ceremony marking the Miracle of the Holy Fire on Easter Eve at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's Old City. Opponents of the Ch...]]>