Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Posted by: Spirit in Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Politics, ReligionThere is little that can be added to all of the rhetoric being thrown maliciously around from both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese war. And I have written extensively about the inequities on both sides of this fight.
If the brokered cease-fire holds, and we all pray that it does, then already too many people have been killed and injured in this desperately sad moment in human history.
So while we can, I am going to unabashedly sing the praises of the Land that is Israel and of the people who inhabit it and of the Spirit that dwells within the soil, water and air. I celebrate the Gift of Jerusalem and the convergence of so many of the faithful, Jewish, Muslim and Christian.
That which defines our culture is centered in that glorious city, poised on the top of the hill in the Dome of the Rock.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque, glorious with its golden dome, marks the legendary site of the Rock that Abraham, the Father of us all, bargained with G_d for Isaac's life and sits atop the same place where Solomon built and then Herod re-built the great Temple of the Jews.
The pictures you see here were taken in 1999. The picture of the Arabs and Jews together below would be a rare site these days.
Within the Old City of Jerusalem, Jewish bookstores, Arab rug dealers, Armenian souvenir sellers, Western antique dealers all mix together with tourists visiting ancient sites sacred to all three religions.
The magic of the land is not limited to the spirit of Jerusalem.It lies as well in Israel's fervent belief in democracy and in their recognition that out of holocaust comes redemption. And, it lies in their reverence for that which is sacred to all those who would seek God in the Land.
The Essenes at Qumran created a way of life that brought them closer to God. Would that we could all be washed of sin as they were.
Jesus, of course, was from Galilee, in the northern part of Israel and verdant and beautiful beyond belief.
And it is here in the north of Israel, in the middle of kibbutzes where the desert has been made to flower for the first time in centuries, where an exiled people has found their home.
In the beautiful north.
This is where people are dying.
Sh'ma Yisrael Adonai Elohaynu Adonai Echad.
Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
Entries (RSS)
“The picture of the Arabs and Jews together below”
Arabs and Israelis. Arabs and Israelis. Repeat after me: Arabs and Israelis…
See number 6
That’s arguable, Sue. In the Old City, it’s called the Jewish Quarter, not the Israeli Quarter, and in this picture, it’s clear that the two men conversing are Jewish but they are not necessarily Israeli. The Jewish Quarter has many international organizations for Jewish studies and it does not follow that every Jew you meet is an Israeli, nor does it follow that every Arab you meet is Palestinian. While Arab is indeed an ethnic, not religious descriptor, in the vernacular it is pretty much interchangeable with Muslim.
So there are no Arab/Christians, eh?
Point very well taken, except there are few Arab Christians who would wear a head dress like the one in the photo.
A small-but-big-point depending on where you are and where you come from. Most Jewish people (well, a lot), wouldn’t use the word “Adonai” when translating for others. It’s complicated, but they would use “Adoshem” or “HaShem.” It’s mostly a matter of respect toward observant Jewish people and is not “wrong.”
Just FYI.
I have heard “HaShem” used frequently. My source for the Hebrew on this page was Judaism 101, authored by a self-proclaimed (?) Jewish expert. When I sang in a reformed temple, we always sang “Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai … “.
That’s the difference: when you’re in a service (that is, praying) as opposed to discussing things, you use the actual pronunciation. If you’re discussing things or ‘practicing,’ you wouldn’t. Dunno if it makes sense to you, but that’s the tradition. (Hear the fiddle?)