A Modern Day Miracle
By Beth Simpson, Guest Writer for Israel 365 News
The hum of the airplane engine finally lulled me to sleep somewhere over the Atlantic. I’d spent the last hour thumbing through Rabbi Tuly’s welcome packet, wondering if this trip would be different from my previous visits to Israel. You see, Israel has always been something I’ve prayed about – “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” I’ve whispered those words from Psalm 122:6 countless times in church, in my quiet morning devotions, during moments when the news from the Middle East felt particularly heavy.
But it wasn’t until I visited with Israel365 that I really understood what – and who – I’d been praying for all these years.
I’ve done the traditional Holy Land tours before. You know, the ones – where you shuffle from site to site, snap photos, listen to historical explanations through slightly crackly headphones. This was different. This wasn’t just about seeing the places where history happened. This was about meeting the people who are living that history right now.
I remember this moment by the Sea of Galilee. Usually, this is where you hear about ancient fishing boats and miraculous catches. But that afternoon, we sat with Mr. Cohen and his family, watching his kids skip stones across the water while he told us about his shop in Hebron. His family has owned that shop for generations, right near the Cave of the Patriarchs. When we visited Hebron days later, there he was, pulling out old photographs, telling stories that connected biblical history to today’s reality with an immediacy that took my breath away.
The whole journey felt like this – one surprising connection after another. We shared Shabbat dinner with a family in Efrat, the fresh challah bread still warm from the oven. Their youngest daughter taught me the blessing, patiently correcting my pronunciation until I got it right. The grandmother told us stories about her late husban’d victorious battles from the six day war.
Then there was the evening we spent with young soldiers, grilling meat under a sky so full of stars it made me forget we were just outside a major city. One of them – he couldn’t have been more than twenty – spoke about guarding the same ancient paths that King David once walked. “It’s not just history for us,” he said, passing me a plate of hummus. “It’s our everyday life.”
Rabbi Weisz has created something special here. He knows when to step back and let these moments unfold naturally. He understands that sometimes the most profound experiences happen in the quiet spaces between the scheduled stops – like when we stumbled upon that tiny bakery in the Galilee, or the impromptu conversation with a farmer who showed us how to tell when figs are perfectly ripe.
Yes, we visited the historical sites. Yes, we walked the ancient stones. But what stays with me aren’t the places – it’s the people. The shop owners who invited us in for coffee, the families who welcomed us into their homes, the scholars who shared not just their knowledge but their personal stories of faith and dedication.
As I settled into my seat for the flight home, my camera full of photos and my bag considerably heavier with gifts for family, I realized something: I hadn’t just visited the land I’d been praying for all these years. I’d finally met the people I’d been praying about. And now, when I pray for the peace of Jerusalem, I see faces. I hear voices. I remember names.
That’s what makes this journey different.
That’s what makes it real.
The post A Modern Day Miracle appeared first on Israel365 News.
Israel in the News
