Masada is one of the most prominent historical sites in Israel.
Masada is mainly recognized as a symbol of Jewish spirit and heroism.
At the time of the conquest of Jerusalem by the Roman army, a group of Jewish rebels joined forces and escaped from Jerusalem, and then took control of Masada. At that time, due to Masada’s strategic location, it was manned by a Roman garrison.
First buildings at the site were erected on the top of a secluded mountain in the Judean Desert by King Herod, who fled from Matityahu the Hasmonean many years before the conquest. He built a citadel at the top of the mountain to protect himself and his family, along with his loyal followers.
The compound included splendid palaces, baths and primarily walls and watchtowers.
If you want to see pictures of the site, go to the following link: Pictures of Masada
Jewish rebels who came to Masada, took control of it and moved into the palace rooms that were still more or less habitable.
The rebels enjoyed full Jewish community life there, establishing study and prayer rooms, and even constructing ritual baths.
It is important to note that not all the inhabitants of the Jewish fortress at that time were strictly observant. Some – according to the prevailing opinion – were very nationalistic and devoted to the ethos of Jewish independence, but did not fully adhere to halachic law.
The routine of daily life inside the walls was common to a routine followed during war times. The elderly, and the women and children were busy with daily household tasks such as laundry and cleaning. The men, on the other hand, trained to engage in combat and defend themselves against the Roman superpower.
It is important to understand that when talking about the adults who trained and prepared themselves for war, young teenagers were also among them.
At nightfall, led by their commander Elazar Ben Yair, the rebels would sneak out and make their way along paths only they knew how to navigate. They would cross the Judean Desert and raid local settlements in the area.
These raids were mainly revenge missions aimed at the Roman army, but were also well utilized for gathering food and provisions for the inhabitants of the Masada mountain stronghold.
Then the dreadful day arrived, when the Roman army completed its conquest of Jerusalem and demolished the Temple, and turned its focus towards dealing with the rebels occupying Masada.
The Roman army reached the base of Masada, and spent many months establishing camps arround the mountain. The Romans slowly closed in on Masada, and implemented a common war tactic of that time – they managed to besiege Masada from all directions.
Masada – The End
Jewish Masada defenders fought with every ounce of determination and strength they possessed, but when they realized they had nowhere to escape and that they were about to fall into the hands of the Romans, they chose death over slavery and committed mass suicide.
The attitude towards this historic suicide is still very controversial in many circles. In Jewish tradition, this suicide is particularly controversial due the question of whether suicide was even permitted in that situation.
When the Zionist movement came into being, it chose to embrace this story as an ethos of Jewish heroism in a struggle for independence. The ethos of fighting back, of willingly going into combat, even at the cost of death.
For years, youth movements in Israel have been coming to Masada to draw inspiration from the ‘heroic’ act of those who killed themselves.
Over the years, the allegedly sacred status of the suicide victims from Masada began to erode, and the extreme message of their choice to commit suicide has lost some of its brilliance. Today Masada is classified as a World Heritage Site and is a rare piece of history worth visiting.
It should be noted that the only written source depicting the story of Masada is in the Book of Josephus, where the story is recounted in great detail. However, there is no reference to this story in any other written record, nor has any written record been discovered in archaeology digs at the site.
Visitors to Masada can walk to the summit on foot, up a very long staircase built on the mountain. Alternatively, visitors can reach the top via a large cable car built there.
To plan a trip on the site, go to the following link to learn what the different options are: A Trip to Masada.
Read more about the Dead Sea. follow next link: dead sea blog
Dead Sea Scrolls. Until that fateful day, he was just another anonymous shepherd. But that morning in 1946, when he was leaving for another day of work in the Judean Desert, he did not know that he was going play a role an unparalleled historical and archaeological discovery!
He found the first three scrolls in the Qumran caves, when the pursuit of a cantankerous goat led him into the cave and to the momentous discovery – clay urns, with ancient manuscripts hidden inside.
Mohammed ed-Dib, the simple shepherd, had no idea what he held in his hands. He decided to make good use of the parchment as fuel for his fires. He tried to sell some of them to a shoe maker, and eventually sold them all to a man who understood their value and asked to be taken to the cave where they were found.
The scrolls changed hands from person to person until, in 1947, they made their way to Professor Sukenik of the Hebrew University. That prompted a fascinating journey involving Bedouin, archeological missions from around the world, and Israeli archaeologists, to locate and excavate additional scrolls.
What made the Dead Sea Scrolls one of the most important archaeological discoveries?
The first scrolls found in Qumran caves were just the tip of the iceberg.
In additional searches in the area a total of 900 scrolls were discovered!!! To the pleasant surprise of the researchers, most of the scrolls were well preserved, and it was very easy to see the letters on the parchment.Then, as a team of experts convened and worked to decode the scrolls, they understood the magnitude of the discovery – the scrolls found in Qumran were the oldest textual historical documents ever found anywhere in the world.
According to the researchers, the scrolls had been amazingly preserved for 2000 years, due to their being stored in clay urns in the dry air of the Judean Desert and Dead Sea region.
So is this all true? A recent finding slightly contradicts this claim, but we will discuss that later…
Dead Sea Scrolls – What is written in them??
The scrolls contain excerpts from books from the Second Temple period.
Some contain books from the Old Testament and some contain external texts such as various books of prophecy and commentaries on the Old Testament.
The most noteworthy of all the scrolls are the Book of Isaiah, which is the oldest and most well preserved; the “Copper Scroll”, which lists the contents of a treasure hidden in the earth (which to date has not been found); and the Temple Scroll, which contains instructions for constructing and working in the Temple. That is also the longest scroll discovered, measuring a length of about 8 meters.
But the mystery has just begun – who wrote the scrolls and are they in fact related to the Dead Sea?
The answers will appear in the following article : Qumran scrolls
Lowest place on earth, this magical and peaceful place, attracts tourists from all over the world. Spending time in the Dead Sea promotes a feeling of calmness and relaxation that is hard to achieve anywhere else in the world.
But beyond all the tourist appeal the Dead Sea has to offer for recreational purposes, it is also a magnet for medical tourism. Exposure to the Dead Sea water, together with the warm sun, create a variety of health benefits, especially for people suffering from skin diseases.
In this post we will focus on three remedies for three different skin diseases.
Tired skin
Sometimes our skin doesn’t renew its cells fast enough, and looks like it’s just tired of life. A few days stay at the Dead Sea, along with immersion in the mineral-rich sea water, will bring about rejuvenation of the skin.
For tired skin sufferers it is also recommended to rub the Dead Sea mud on the body. The mud, which contains more than twenty different minerals, cleans the dead skin cells, sweeps away all unnecessary fluids, and brings the skin to a fresh and refreshed state.
Vitiligo / Leucoderma
Vitiligo is a skin disease caused by the absence of skin cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes are responsible for the production of pigment cells, and when they do not function properly, light spots are formed on the skin.
The climatic properties of the Dead Sea produce an effect on the melanocytes.
And most people who suffer from Vitiligo, who spent a period of about 5 weeks at the Dead Sea, reported significant improvement.
Combination of staying at the Dead Sea and climatic therapy, together with conventional treatment, ensures maximum improvement results.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a relatively common skin disease, characterized by red patches of skin covered with white skin scales.
The controlled exposure to solar radiation at the Dead Sea, together with the abundance of minerals abundant in the Dead Sea, is in most cases a solution for psoriasis sufferers.
In the case of psoriasis, it is also recommended to combine bathing in the mineral-saturated water and climatic treatment with the most common conventional treatment.
The required stay in the Dead Sea area for psoriasis patients is about 4 weeks.
Atopic Skin Infections
Atopic skin infections are manifested in dry, inflamed skin, or itching in various parts of the body.
Atopic skin infections occur most often in young children and infants. In professional studies conducted over the years, it was found that a stay at the Dead Sea has significantly improved the skin condition of these children.
Sometimes the inflammation completely disappears.
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Follow next link to the official web of the government company of the Dead Sea: https://www.haganot.co.il
Dandruff. Dandruff on the scalp is not a medical problem, but rather an aesthetic one.
However, anyone suffering from dandruff will be happy to know that there is a solution that will keep the scalp clean.
And thereby eliminate that unpleasant problem.
Dandruff occurs mainly during the winter, when the natural metabolic processes accelerate.
The natural processes of shedding dead skin cells make the scalp appear gray and greasy.
What’s the solution? Once again, mud from the Dead Sea. Pure mud.
Dead Sea mud is rich in a variety of elements. Clay, minerals, sulfur, salt…and the list goes on.
Spreading the Dead Sea mud on the scalp will activate a process of completely cleansing the skin.
The clay texture of the Dead Sea mud absorbs all excess fluid, leaving the scalp cleaner than ever.
Mud also contains a mineral called manganese, which contributes to the acceleration of blood flow mainly in small blood vessels.
That process can help renewed and better hair growth. Many people attribute to the Dead Sea mud an additional medicinal quality – reducing hair loss.
The method for using Dead Sea mud for general care of the scalp and the prevention of dandruff is very simple: apply a generous amount of mud to the scalp, and after about 15 minutes wash thoroughly well with warm water.
Cellulite is formed due to accumulation of fat cells under the skin, which gives the skin a corrugated or puckered look.
The Cellulite occurs in nearly 90 percent of women, usually in the buttocks and thighs.
Men are also prone to cellulite as they age.
Cellulite and dead sea
It is important to note that cellulite is generally perceived as a problem of appearance and aesthetics, rather than as a medical problem.
However, the formation of cellulite is in fact usually attributed to inadequate metabolic rate.
the accumulation of extra fats and fluids that the body fails to eliminate.
So, let’s go back to the Dead Sea.
The mud, as noted in previous posts, absorbs fluids in the upper layer of skin. The concentration of minerals and salts cleans the skin and increases its metabolic rate.
The result in most cases: smooth, beautiful skin.
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