Some scholars speculate that Mount Karkom, located in Israel’s Negev Desert, is the biblical Mount Sinai. Others hold that the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments is in Egypt’s Sinai Desert. Regardless, Har Karkom, as it is known in Hebrew, is an ancient site, with petroglyphs and dozens of altars dating to the third millennium BCE. A 12-stone altar could correspond to the one Moses built with 12 pillars, one for each of the tribes of Israel.
Israel’s coastline along the Mediterranean Sea stretches ~190 kilometers from Lebanon to Gaza. Steep cliffs stand along 20-25% of the shore. Deep-water ports are located at Haifa and Ashdod. “The Great Sea” (HaYam HaGadol) is the most common biblical term for the Mediterranean, with references in the books of Bemidbar (Numbers), Joshua, and Ezekiel.
The tomb of Rachel is situated at the entrance to Bethlehem. She is the only one of the four Jewish matriarchs who is not buried in Hebron. According to Midrash, her son Joseph was the first to pray at her grave. Today, it remains a special place for prayer. Bethlehem is also the location for most of the biblical story of Ruth, who was the great-grandmother of King David.
When Joshua led the Israelites into the Land after 40 years in the desert, the Mishkan (Tabernacle) was initially placed at Gilgal. Later, they built a stone structure at Shiloh and placed the Mishkan’s curtains over it. That sanctuary stood for 369 years, the ruins of which are visible today at Tel Shiloh. The synagogue of the nearby modern Shilo in Samaria resembles the ancient Mishkan.
The tomb of the prophet Samuel, who lived during the time of the Judges, some 3,000 years ago, sits strategically overlooking Jerusalem, the ascent to Hebron, and the Judean Desert. Excavations in the 1990s revealed ruins of a Jewish settlement from the First Temple period. Today, there are both a mosque and synagogue on the site, which is an Israeli national park.
Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day, is an annual breath of fresh air in Israel. Although the majority of Israelis are not observant, most choose to fast and refrain from driving on the Day of Atonement. Nitrogen oxide levels can fall by 83-98% in Tel Aviv, and even more in other cities.
Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, was established as the capital of the Jewish kingdom by David in 1,000 BCE. Throughout millennia of dispersion, it remained eternally in the hearts of the Jewish people. Wherever they are in the world, Jews pray in the direction of Israel. In Israel, they pray in the direction of Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, they pray in the direction of the Temple Mount.
During the Passover holiday, Jews worldwide recount their Biblical liberation and exodus from Egypt. Today, there is an irony that Israeli hostages are held captive in Gaza, which prior to the Six-Day War in 1967, was Egyptian territory.
