Today was our first field trip for the Samson story (Judg 13-16). It was a long day. We had class from 8:30-10:30, then a break until after lunch. We boarded the bus at 1:00 and returned to Tzuba about 7:30.
Tzor`a is actually not far from Tzuba, 10-15 miles. However, it is quite a drop in altitude. The first picture shows some of the hill country we passed through. The bus was quite nice, but can only go so far. The hike from the place we were dropped off to the top of the mountain was over a mile, all up hill. But we were fit for the journey. (Peter and I were not huffing and puffing as much as most of them, even though they were younger.) I took the second photo at the beginning of the journey. The weather was typical: sunny and in the 80s. There was a nice breeze, however, and as we moved into the forest, there was more shade, which is always welcome.
Along the way we saw many fruit trees. We also found a carob tree. Carob is not mentioned in the Bible, but I'm sure they had them. This is a closeup to show you the brown pods. The pods are flat and inside are seeds. Several of us ate the pods right off the tree. They are sweet and taste like - carob! We did not eat the seeds.
Here are a few photos from Tzor`a. It has not been excavated, though many people have been here. Along the path up there were a couple of nice settings with picnic tables and even a small playground. Tzor`a was a small town. In the first photo in the town was what looked to be an olive press. Standing on the press is Anna Kozachuk. She is 18 and just came to the Ulpan for the Samson course (I'm not sure how long she will stay). She was born in the Ukraine, but her family emigrated to the US when she was four. She is a very sweet girl with a great love for God and for the lost. The second photo shows an area adjacent to the center of town with the press and the wine vats. The rubble is the remains of houses. There must have been quite a number of them.
Also at the top of the tel was the grave of Samson and Manoah! I don't know why we all think archaeologists work hard. All they have to do is read the sign!
That was just a joke, of course. Actually, on the way up, outside of the Tzor`a area were several graves and a few caves. The first photo shows a real grave. I don't know how old it is, but it goes back to biblical times. You can see around the hole a circular recessed area, where a stone could be rolled to cover the mouth. In the second photo I am sitting in the mouth of a cave. It does not go back very far. It would not have been a comfortable home for a human, but it certainly would have provided shelter from the elements.
After reading Jdg 13-14 at Tel Tzor`a, we walked to the parking lot where the bus was. It was on an adjacent peak. Looking downhill and southwesterly (near as I can tell) you can see the trees of the forest of the hill and beyond that the Soreq Valley. In the center of the photo, you can see the ruins of Beth Shemesh. The Philistines controlled the valley, which was and is a rich agricultural area. Israelites and Philistines certainly did business with each other during this time.
Also from this hill top you can see the ruins of Timnah, the hometown of the Philistine girl, whom Samson married. Although it's not far "as a crow flies," it was quite a hike to go there and all the way back up hill. Unfortunately it is difficult to find Timnah in the photo, but it is located beyond the grove of trees. It appears as a gray rectangle just above and to the left of the grove.
After our visit to Tel Tzor`a, we drove to the modern town of Tzor`a to a winery. It's a little ironic, considering Samson was a Nazirite. Our hostess explained about the various wines made there and we had cheese Goat cheese is pretty tasty. We concluded the day with a dinner at a vegetarian restaurant (easy for people to keep Kosher that way). It was a relaxed atmosphere, the food was quite good (I had asparagus with corn, seasoning, parmesan cheese, and a white sauce). The whole right half of the room has windows and a nice view of Eshtaol. The other half of the building sold all sorts of spices and herbs. It all looked great.
The entire day was interesting, educational, and fun. We spent most of the day talking in Hebrew. My skill level is still not where I want to be, but I'm getting better!
By God's grace, brakhot.
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