Archives For Jewish People

Posts by Wayne Stiles related to the Jewish people.

Why We Should Remember the Holocaust Today

At ten o’clock this morning, sirens rang loud in Israel.

People stopped—wherever they were, whatever they were doing—and stood at attention for 120 seconds of complete silence.

Imagine that for a moment. Two minutes. Silence. Everywhere.

800px Yad Vashem Hall of Names by David Shankbone Why We Should Remember the Holocaust Today

(Photo: Hall of Names in Jerusalem’s Holocaust Museum, by David Shankbone, CC-BY-SA-3.0)

Then the sirens rang again, and life resumed—full-speed. This annual pause allows the nation to remember the six million Jews who were murdered simply because they were Jews.

Today’s date marks Yom Hashoah, known as Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day, the Jewish holiday that remembers those who perished in the Holocaust.

Many times I have visited Jerusalem’s Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem.

It changes you.

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8 Tips to Maximize Your Holy Land Tour

In my previous post, I offered some suggestions for how to prepare for a Holy Land Tour.

After all, you’re investing a lot of money and significant time for this journey. It makes sense to prepare yourself beforehand so that you get the most from your experience in Israel.

Western Wall and Dome of the Rock tb092603105 8 Tips to Maximize Your Holy Land Tour

(Photo: Western Wall and Temple Mount, courtesy of Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

But after you arrive in Israel, there are a number of ways you can ensure you get the most from your Holy Land tour.

The following 8 tips include both practical and spiritual ways to maximize your experience every single day you’re there.

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The Tabernacle at Shiloh—A Promise, Person, Place & Parable

Local schoolchildren ate their lunches across the olive grove from my wife and me.

Like the kids, we came on a field trip to explore ancient Shiloh. Although our lunch was hardly a feast, it reminded me of the reasons the young nation of Israel initially came to this site. They came to worship at the annual feasts before the Tabernacle at Shiloh.

Shiloh area of tabernacle tb051808076 The Tabernacle at Shiloh—A Promise, Person, Place & Parable

(Photo: Area of the Tabernacle at Shiloh. Courtesy of Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

Ask most Americans where Shiloh is, and you’ll likely get a blank stare.

  • Historians may point to a Civil War battle in Hardin County, Tennessee.
  • Music buffs may start singing the chorus to a Neil Diamond song.

But question someone who knows his or her Bible, and Shiloh means something far more significant.

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Connecting Cisterns, Rain, and Reading the Bible

Where there is water in Israel, there is life.

And where there isn’t water? The rule in antiquity was simple. Dig a cistern.

cistern Connecting Cisterns, Rain, and Reading the Bible

(Photo: Water reservoir beside Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Photo by Vladimir Naykhin, IAA)

While excavating a first-century drainage channel and street that led from the City of David to the Temple Mount, archaeologists recently found a massive water reservoir dating from the First Temple period. The discovery of the reservoir, just west of the Temple Mount, gives silent testimony to the importance of water in the spiritual lives of God’s people.

The Jewish holiday today, Shemini Atzeret—and Simchat Torah—offer a fascinating connection to this ancient cistern.

More importantly, they reveal a truth we live by every day of our lives.

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Timna Park—A Portrait of Your Atonement on Yom Kippur

Tucked away among the steep sandstone formations in Israel’s Arabah Valley sits a place most visitors never see.

Timna Park’s best-known attraction is called “Solomon’s Pillars”—beautiful Nubian sandstone formations that have nothing to do with King Solomon. But they’re fun to climb. The park also features relics from Egyptian idol worship as well as interpretive signs about ancient copper mining.

But the best part of Timna Park is its least-known exhibit. Or perhaps, it’s the least-mentioned.

Tabernacle model tb030807091 Timna Park—A Portrait of Your Atonement on Yom Kippur

(Photo: Tabernacle model at Timna Park. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands.)

A full-scale replica of the Tabernacle stands in the very wilderness where Moses and the children of Israel wandered for forty years.

It is like entering a doorway to history—and viewing a picture of your salvation.

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Rosh Hashanah— It’s Time to Start Over

Everybody uses a calendar.

Some hang it on the wall with pictures of puppies, landscapes, or old cars. Others use Google Calendar or carry their schedules on their smartphones. Some do all of these. But everybody uses a calendar. We have to.

Man blowing shofar during Elul at Western Wall tb083104455 Rosh Hashanah— It’s Time to Start Over

(Photo: Man blowing shofar during Elul at Western Wall. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands.)

Without this simple tool, our lives would be chaotic. A calendar organizes our days for religious, business, or personal reasons. In fact, most of us operate with several calendar systems at the same time. My calendar year begins in January, but I also march to a fiscal year, a school year, and occasionally, a leap year.

But as God’s people—just like the Hebrews of old—a calendar does much more than keep us on schedule.

It reminds us of things we’d better not forget.

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The Walls of Jerusalem through the Centuries—a Timeline

I’ve heard it said, “If you want to understand the history of Israel, then learn the history of Jerusalem.”

Many books depict the expansion and contraction of the walls of Jerusalem, but I thought a timeline might illustrate it well.

(If you can’t see the timeline in email or RSS, just click here.)

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How Tisha B’Av and the Burnt House in Jerusalem Examine Our Motives

Sometimes it’s tough to dissect our motives. Take prayer for example.

  • We bow our heads to pray, and yet—that’s nowhere in the Bible.
  • We men remove our hats, but again—there’s no verse on that.
  • We end prayers “in Jesus’ name”—but is that really what John 16:24 means?

prayingprone How Tisha BAv and the Burnt House in Jerusalem Examine Our Motives

Photo: Design Pics, via Vivozoom

It’s not that there’s anything wrong, per se, with these self-imposed rituals. It’s the motive behind them that can trip us up.

I can’t help but think about motives when I visit the Burnt House in Jerusalem. Destroyed along with the Second Temple in AD 70, the Burnt House reminds me of a question the Prophet Zechariah recorded about the First Temple’s destruction.

God’s answer to the Jews of that day still rings in my mind. I can’t shake it.

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7 Israel Museum “Must-Sees”—and Why They Matter

It may sound odd to travel to the land of the Bible and then go indoors to see a museum.

But some museums you can only see in Israel.

Israel Museum 7 Israel Museum Must Sees—and Why They Matter

Photo: Israel Museum in Jerusalem, courtesy of BiblePlaces.com

Even if you aren’t a “museum person,” this one has stuff in it you should see. Lots of stuff. Especially if you have an interest in the Bible.

While I could mention many of objects of note, I’m reducing it down to 7. I’ll also give a link to its virtual museum. (Cool!)

Here are 7 “must-sees” in Jerusalem’s Israel Museum and—more importantly—why you should care.

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Hope from the Upper Room and David’s Tomb

One of King David’s most poignant prayers came after one of his greatest mistakes.

“Do not cast me away from Your presence,” he prayed, “and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11).

King David statue on Mount Hope from the Upper Room and David’s Tomb

(Photo: Statue of King David on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, near “David’s Tomb”. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

Pieces of Hebrew and Christian scripture come together in an ancient building on Jerusalem’s Western Hill. In this one small structure, events of history and tradition combine to offer the ultimate answer to David’s prayer.

In fact, the place offers hope for all of us.

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