We made it up North and enjoyed the beautiful ways as we were driving. We are staying at a youth hostel in Ma’a lot. The people who work here are very nice. There is another Israeli school group staying here.
While driving to our first destination, we drove through a Druse town. The Druse originally were Muslims and at some point they broke away and now have their own religion. There are Druse communities today in Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Druse are extremely patriotic to the country in which they are living. In 1950 the then Druse leader approached the Israeli government asking that their boys please be drafted in the army. When conflicts arise in Lebanon and Syria, the IDF is careful not to station Druse soldiers there so they are not fighting with family or friends.
Druse are very secretive about their rituals and if one wants to be religious there is a 2-3 year initiation for the elders to assess one’s seriousness. Most Druse are secular, but this is not frowned upon in their culture. The Druse believe they are descendants of Yitro, Moshes father-in-law. According to their tradition, Yitro is buried in Tevaria.
Our first activity in the North was a beautiful hike on Mount Meron. Based on our hikes, this one was a 3 on our scale. The weather here is amazingly beautiful for this time of year. We stopped periodically to take in the breathtaking views over the Galil.
Along the hike Yoni shared with us information about the area. At the top of Mount Meron is an army base, so hiking up there is off limits. On this mountain they track bird migrations. All birds except one pass over Israel during their migration. Yoni asked us to guess the one and only bird that does not pass over Israel. We will give you a hint: this bird was eaten in the desert. Quail!! Interestingly the quail literally rain down in Egypt when they land. Wow, just like it says in the Torah.
We hiked in single file on Mount Meron. Rabbi Kosofsky shared with us that in Mishnah Rosh Hashana it speaks about how the people of Meron walked in single file. We were literally walking in their footsteps. At one of the viewing areas we could see Gush Chalev. Rabbi Kosofsky shared a few interesting stories that occurred there.
From Mount Meron is a bit of a drive to the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai of Lag B’omer fame. It takes a while since we are driving around the mountain. In front of the grave Yoni shared with us beautiful stories about the Rashbi that show how he cared about average people and would go the extra mile to help them.
After living in the cave for 13 years, the Rashbi developed skin lesions. He went to the hot springs in Tevarya to heal himself. He wanted to thank the city. At that time after the destruction of the Temple, the people wanted to inhabit more of the city, but there were unmarked graves. The Rashbi located the graves and had the bodies respectfully moved to allow more people to live in Tevarya. This was but one example of how the Rashbi went the extra mile.