The Damascus Gate

It is amazing what sights escape us when we don’t know what is right in front of our eyes. At the Damascus Gate there is a gate below the gate. I have walked through his gate many times when visiting Jerusalem, but until i studied for new book Israel: Stories for Your Journey, I totally missed the interesting Roman period entry which was literally right in front of me as I entered Jerusalem through this northernmost portal.

A look north from the Ramparts Walk above the Damascus Gate.
Do you see what is right in front of your eyes?

The Damascus gate is the grand northern entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. It is on the main road leading out of Jerusalem northward, in the direction of Nablus (Shechem), Galilee and Damascus. It is the main entry into the Muslim Quarter, with its markets both inside the gate and a bazaar on the entry plaza on Thursday night. This major gate was the northern entry to the cardo, the main street of Jerusalem from the Roman period to our present time, which is the starting point of telling about the gate below the gate.

A look at the Damascus Gate, The Roman entry
can be seen below the walkway to the left.

After Jerusalem was subdued by both general Titus and by Hadrian, the emperor decided to rebuild and rename the city in order to demean the Jewish population. The new city was called Aelia Capitolina. Aelia was the emperor’s family name and celebrates the greatness of Hadrian. Capitolina praises a triad of Roman gods: Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. The city was built in the shape of a square with the main roads entering near today's Damascus Gate, Jaffa Gate, Zion Gate and the Stephen Gates. The second century Roman style entry consisted of a grand victory arch set between two smaller arches, a victory symbol which sometimes stood in an area which was in front of the city gates. Beyond the entrance stood a pillar with the bust of the Roman Emperor.

The Thursday Night Bazaar at the Damascus Gate

As a person enters the Damascus gate today, the small Roman arches can be seen to the south and below the current gate reconstructed by Suleiman the Magnificent in the sixteenth century. The name Aelia Capitolina is emblazoned in Latin above the entrance and the original Roman pavers lead to a plaza with the remains of Hadrian’s pillar. From there a twenty-six foot wide cardo flanked by rows of columns and five foot wide raised sidewalks used to lead into the city.

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If you would like to see the Damascus Gate, and many other sights in Jerusalem and Israel, take a look at my May adventure in the Holy Land (link). If you can’t make it on the trip, please order my book, Israel: Stories for Your Journey and take a look at my blog during the month of May.

The Four Sons for Daughters

February is a month of birthdays for our family, both of my daughters were born in the month of February. We celebrate their birthdays no matter where they are in the world. Families are support systems and birthdays are supposed to be fun. Because Purim is next week, I must add that I am sure Mordecai would never forget Esther’s birthday, and probably made sure she had fun.

Spiritual Life and a Relationship with God

In my blog I often write about Passover during this time of year. That is partially to promote the fact that I lead Passover Seders, and partly to promote two books I have written with my daughters. (They are available in print and on kindle). The Passover was instituted in order to help our children learn about God’s care for His people. Various instruments are used during the Pesach celebration to share God’s desires.

Passover Seder participant Haggadah

The Passover Haggadah tells about four sons through four questions and answers given to children in the Torah. The Rabbis use the questions to teach about four types of people in the world: The wise, the wicked, the simple and the young.

Four Sons and Four types of people

The fourth son of the Seder is the young child. From Exodus 13:8, we discern that this son is very young, too young to ask a question, because. Moses instructed the fathers to answer their child without a question ever being asked. The Bible tells us, “You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’”

The message of Exodus 13:8 is very important for parents of today. Our children are always learning, and we should always be teaching. When my children were very young, even a few days old, I enjoyed holding them and teaching them. My teaching at that age was mostly in songs I sang to my daughters. They did not ask questions, they did not speak back. They only girlgled, smiled or, sometimes, cried.

Dad and Daughter

But as I sang and as I spoke, my children learned. Their minds were opened, and they understood the language of love, and they were learning the words I shared with them. On the day of a child’s birth we begin to teach them about life, and hopefully about God. I shared with my daughters “because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.”

Story time and then nap time

As my children grew older, they learned to ask simple questions. About two or three years old they constantly asked, “Why?” THe question is only one word long, but it can be applied in so many ways. The natural inclination is to push a child aside, because, as a parent, you get tired of hearing the constant, “Why?” and then when you answer the question, another “Why?” And another and another.

For the child who asks lots of “Why?” or other simple questions, Moses wrote, “when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ (or ‘Why?’) you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.” (Exodus 13:14)

Chelsea and her Grandmother

The Bible tells me never to tire of my children’s questions, for they are a source of learning. In my educational courses, I learned to use teachable moments with my classes. Whenever a child asks a question, they are sharing a teachable moment. The child’s intention is to be discerned so their question can be answered. (Sometimes the question is so simple it is ambiguous. It is up to the parent to know their child and the situation well enough to give an applicable answer). As questions are appropriately answered and as teachable moments are used to instruct children, they learn and grow, and come to know God’s love more clearly.

A Grandmother's Bedtime Routine

The second son in the Passover Seder asks the question, “What do YOU mean by this service?” (Exodus 12:26) The child who asks this question is called ‘the wicked son,’ because he wishes he could be excluded from the Passover and from his family's teachings. This indeed is a sad situation, for it means the teachings did not take. Fortunately, I did not have to deal with this type of child. Because I started to teach my children when they were young, and because I was patent when they got older, and because I sought to bring ‘the joy of the Lord’ into our faith, my children grew up to adopt our religion, rather than to reject it.

If I were asked, “Do your children believe and practice exactly as you do?” I would have to answer no, because each person’s faith walk will be a bit different. But certainly we worship the same God, and hold to the same faith, and there is a bond. My daughters have now passed the three decade mark, and therefore we can have discussions about religion. I can learn from them, as they have learned from me.

My daughters are now like the wise son, who asks, “What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?” (Deut 6:20) They have gone to school, become learned, and now they teach others, and sometimes they teach me.

I recently read on a Chabad website: “Since all of Torah addresses all of Israel, we must say that all four messages of the Torah are applicable to all of us, since we all possess the “four children” within ourselves. We are therefore all required—even one who does not have children—to recite all four answers, since we are in essence speaking to the wise, wicked, simple, and “unable to ask” elements that exist within every one of us.”

The Dung Gate of Jerusalem

By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. (Nehemiah 2:13)

A Bar Mitzvah near the Dung Gate

The Dung Gate could also be considered the trash gate because it was the most common place to dump the city’s refuse. One reason for this is that the Dung Gate was at the lowest point in Jerusalem. Beyond the gate was a steep drop-off into the Hinnom Valley. People in the city threw their trash over the cliff and down to the bottom of the valley so the people of Jerusalem would never see their trash anymore.

Exiting Buses near the Dung Gate

The dung gate of Jerusalem received its name because a cattle market existed at this place in the past. Livestock were brought in through the gate and sold in a market. When the animals were sold, butchers were available to process the meat and tanners were available to receive the skins which were turned into leather products Dung from the cattle and chemicals from the tanners were disposed of out the gate and over the hill in Hinnom Valley.

View of the Dung Gate walkway facing to the east

Across the course of history there were actually two Dung Gates. The older gate existed below the Pool of Siloam in the days of the First and Second Temple. The other Dung Gate, that exists today, is about three-tenths of a mile uphill from the old location in the city of Jebus. Both gates were known in the time of Nehemiah, the older gate was called the Dung Gate, the upper location was known as the Valley Gate. Both gates were located in the Tyropoeon Valley, which intersects Jerusalem.

Old and New Dung Gate sites

The Dung Gate today is an entry point for those wanting visit the Western Wall (Kotel). The gate is very busy today, and was a commercial center in antiquity. Close to the area are several archaeological sites. The Western Wall excavations are north of the Dung Gate and to the south of the gate the Israel Antiquities Authority is digging at what used to be the Giv'ati Parking Lot. They have found the home of Queen Helena of Adiabene (read more in my book - Israel: Stories for Your Journey) as well as other artifacts.

Experience Israel through its stories

I invite you to join me as I lead a group to explore the land of Israel or read my book to learn more.

Learning to Love God

I am a Christian Educator. My life’s work was to help people learn and live the words of the Bible. I prepared lessons and trained teachers to lead classes for all ages, from the youngest babies to the most elderly adults. Along the way I substituted, taught and worked alongside the teachers in each age group. Through my life’s work I fell in love with people and the end result of Bible lessons being incorporated into their lives.

Leading a Passover Seder at Fairview Baptist Church, Statesville

From a very young age I learned to listen to the words of scripture and love it’s stories. This did not happen in a church, for I did not go to church, I was raised in a Jewish home. My most memorable times of Bible learning occurred in the home. When I was young my mother would read to me from a book of Bible stories. Our family also celebrated the Jewish holidays and learned the traditions that go with each event.

Dressed up for our Purim Celebration

This month we will celebrate the festival called Purim. When I was young, my family would go to the Synagogue, where we would hear stories from the Megillah, the book of Esther. We dressed in costumes, played carnival type games, ate food (including hamantaschen), and heard a presentation from the book of Esther every half hour. These recitations could be story reading, puppet plays or dramas. Each telling was “child friendly,” and enabled me to remember the reason for the event.

My Passover Family

Next month we will celebrate Passover (or Pesach), the Jewish feast which remembers how God enabled my people to escape slavery in Egypt. During this festival we would go to Uncle Stuart and Aunt Betty’s home, for Uncle Stuart was the eldest son in the family. I would see my grandmother and spend the afternoon playing with my cousins. We were family.

Passover at Salem Baptist Church in Apex, NC

At the appointed time on Passover eve, we would all sit down at the long table to enjoy a feast. But before we ate, we participated in and heard the story of the Exodus from Egypt. The memorable words repeated year after year from the Haggadah for the American Family. My Uncle Stuart would lead and each of us would read our parts, as broken out in the book. After much more than a decade of following this tradition, some of the lines we read are etched on my memory from simple repetition.

Breaking Matzoh at Central Methodist Church, Mooresville, NC

During the evening we would spend at least an hour saying the blessings, reading the scripture, tasting the foods (like karpas, matzoh, morror and charosis), singing the songs, and reciting the story. A huge feast would come near the end of the book, once the story was told and the plagues of Egypt recited.

A Passover lesson at Lighthouse Church, Mooresville, NC 

My Uncle had a fantastic sense of humor, and made our visits to his home fun. Many stories could be told about what happened at our Passover table, but to recite them would get us off topic. The point is, my religious training was a family event, supported by the Synagogue. My family did a good job, and when my children were born I continued the tradition of sharing the story of the Bible through fun festivals and events so they could learn to love my God and my faith.

Buying a goat in Israel for two zuzim

Today, even as my children are grown, I continue to share the Jewish festivals with Christians across the country. I have taken time to study the holidays to see how they were celebrated during the first century in Israel. Jesus, himself, with his parents, participated in all of the Jewish holidays. There are many references to him going to Jerusalem to participate in the Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles and Chanukah. To miss the connection is to erase a portion of the New Testament.

My book celebrating Passover as a Relationship with God

To miss sharing the faith with our children in the same manner as Jesus’ parents shared the Jewish traditions with their children is to ignore the teachings of the Bible handed down since the days of Moses.

A Passover Haggadah with complete explanations and leader hints

My daughters and I have written several books (Spring: Connecting with God, A Christian Passover in the Jewish Tradition, two Kindle Haggadahs, and Advent Journeys) to help Christians understand the Jewish and early Christian traditions of Passover. We lead these services in churches to help people understand these traditions within their context, hoping the next generation will grow up with the same love of God I have enjoyed through life. I guide church Seder services for any who desire to know more. For more information, contact me through my e-mail address.

The Passover Seder

The festive meal called by some Passover and by others Pesach was instituted when Moses wrote, “Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family.” (Exodus 12:3) Many who read this blog are familiar with the story: each family selected a lamb, prepared it for supper, and dined in a manner fully prepared to escape 430 years of slavery to Egypt. During the night after the dinner. The angel of death passed through the land of Egypt taking the lives of firstborn males who resided in homes with clean (blood-free) doorposts.

Backyard Sheep on the road in Jordan

Following mederoic events which preceded and followed the first Pesach, the meal with all of its festivities and its history changing story, has been celebrated in Jewish homes across 3,500 years of history. The celebration of Passover has grown from a simple meal shared by a tribe of desert wanderers to an event acclaimed and esteemed around the world. Participation in Passover festivities is popular today. According to Pew Research 70% of Jews participate in the Seder dinner. Passover expanded beyond people of Jewish descent and today is honored in a truncated form by followers of Jesus.

Preparation for the Passover Seder

The power of the Passover was inbred in the fabric of the feast from its very beginning. Moses wrote, “On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips.” (Exodus 13:8-9) Passover is a family celebration. It is celebrated in the home and led by the head of the household. In today’s Jewish world there is a book called the Haggadah that helps the untrained leader to guide his family through the plan for the evening.

Explanation of each part of the Passover Seder

Through history activities have been included in the Seder to hold the interest of children. These include tasting various foods, four questions which are asked by the eldest child, a lesson on four sons, the singing of Dayenu, the finding of the Matzah and a visit by Elijah. The activities of the evening are presented in a laid back style with lots of laughter and and stories produced by both the ancient Rabbis and and members of the household who retell memorable events from past holidays.

Book telling how Passover is about our Relationship with God

Passover is a beloved event in Jewish families because it connects ancient religious tradition with today’s family. Moses said it was “like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead,” bringing to mind his words of Deuteronomy 6, “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deut 6:4-9) Passover is to be made as purposeful, meaningful and fun as the tradition of bedtime stories when children are young.

Large group celebrating the Passover

Religious events like Passover, filled with meaning, fun, and inclusive of children, are an important element that helps faith communities to grow and continue from generation to generation. One of the things that brings me joy in life is to lead and see others lead Passover Seders that tell the stories of faith in a fun way in order to instruct the next generation. If you live in central North Carolina or in South Carolina and would enjoy a Passover Seder in your church, please contact me.

Large group celebrating the Passover

If you would like to know how to lead a Passover Seder for your group, please take a look at my book for leaders: A Christian Passover in the Jewish Tradition. This book contains preparations for the Seder, recipes, leader instructions, the words to be spoken and leader instructions. It also has a large section explaining every part of the Passover.

Kindle Passover Seder

I have also put together a kindle book that contains the service (but not the leader guide or commentary) for participants. The participant guide has been revised this year and is available for under $1 on Amazon.com.

The Jerusalem Lion’s Gate

The king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. (1 Kings 10:18-20)

Lions on the Stephen's Gate

Solomon’s throne was magnificent. The Bible says no other king had a throne so rich, elaborate or protecting. While history records the Babylonian and Egyptian kings had lions by their thrones (sometimes winged), King Solomon went further, employing twelve lions (one for each tribe) to stand before his elaborate throne. All who entered his palace were amazed by the beauty of the building and his wealth.

Stephen's Gate in Jerusalem

The lion became a symbol of royalty from ancient times. Jacob predicted, “You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?” (Ge 49:9). Lions decorate the thrones of the King of England, China, Tibet, Burma and many other nations. Lions also decorate one of the gates into the city of Jerusalem, also known as the Stephen Gate.

Lion's Gate in Jerusalem

The lions on this gate, it is said, were placed on the facade because King Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire had a dream about 600 years ago in which he was attacked by four lions at the Jordan River. When he asked his wise men to discern the meaning of his vision, he was told it was to protect Jerusalem from his taxation (more can be found in my book Israel: Stories for Your Journey). The lions were emblazoned on an eastern gate which faces the Jordan River.

Stories Your Guide won't Tell Y

This gate is the entry point for pilgrims today who journey down the Mount of Olives to traverse the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem. It is believed by some that the King of Kings, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah entered this gate, and he probably did, at some point, but not on Palm Sunday. The lions are still appropriate and the gate is a great entryway into Jerusalem for pilgrims who come to visit the holy sites such as Saint Anne’s Chapel, the pool of Bethesda, or the The Ecce Homo church.

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Jerusalem with its gates and holy sites is worth a visit. Please join me on my next trip May 5-18, 2018 (click this link for more details). If you can not go, please order my $2 book, Israel: Stories for Your Journey.

Abraham Lincoln's Birthday

Over the past several years I have become more and more aware of people’s lack of knowledge, understanding or desire for a sense of history. In the past couple days as I shared with people my recent trip to the wreath laying at William Henry Harrison’s tomb, they wondered, “Who was he?” and “He was only in office one month!” So I shared the story of how William Henry Harrison’s lifetime of work caused people to make him run for the office of President. This man did many great things for our country.

Lincoln's Portrait in Pennies

Today we celebrate the birthday of another great president, Abraham Lincoln. This president has name recognition and many would call him their favorite of all presidents.

The supposed cabin where Lincoln was born

Abraham Lincoln was born 209 years ago on February 12, 1809, at Sinking Spring farm, south of Hodgenville in a small log cabin. Last year I visited the historic site and learned that a log cabin called “Lincoln’s Birthplace” became a tourist attraction in the 1890’s. It was displayed at the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897, and then toured the country, with another log cabin, that of Jefferson Davis. Along the way the logs got mixed up, and the cabin of today contains logs from both cabins.

Lincoln's Boyhood home at Knob Creek

The earliest home Lincoln remembers was where his parents moved in 1811, a few miles north of Hodgenville along Knob Creek.

Lincoln's childhood home in Spencer County, Indiana

At the age of 7 Lincoln’s family moved to Buffaloville, Indiana (near Santa Claus). The future president lived at this location until he was 17, and left home to work on a Mississippi flatboat. Buffaloville is the place where we hear stories of Abraham Lincoln teaching himself to read by the fireplace in the evening. This is also the place the future president gained his strength by farming and splitting rails.

Lincoln''s home in Springfield, Illinois

By the age of 23, Lincoln and his father had moved to Illinois, and the young man became interested in politics, law and Indian fighting. He supported William Henry Harrison in the 1840 Presidential election. He served as a state legislator from 1834-1842, and in the United States House of Representatives, 1847–49. He moved to Springfield, IL in 1836, and built a small home in the city after his marriage to Mary Todd in 1842.

The house where Lincoln died

Teaching our children about our nation’s history is of great importance, for as children learn the lessons of history they learn to avoid the mistakes of the past. They also hear about men and women they can emulate in order to become great leaders of the future. I have always felt it is good to take my children to places where historic events took place, because young children more easily absorb lessons from their environment than lessons which are conveyed through the spoken voice.

Yesterday my family and I attended a wreath laying ceremony at the grave of William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of the United States. I tell about how we came to participate at this event in my last two blogs. I did not know until this event that wreaths are set at the grave of each president annually on (or near) his birthday. I thought this ceremony would be small, but I was wrong. These wreath settings are well planned, well attended because they are quite elaborate. A video can be seen at this link.

A color guard led the procession from North Bend Town Hall to the grave site of President William Henry Harrison

The ceremony for William Henry Harrison began at North Bend City Hall.

Sons and Daughters of the Revolution joined the procession behind the flags.

There were costumed participants from Sons and Daughters of the Revolution. William Henry Harrison was the last President born the colonial period of our country. He was also the last president to personally know every man who served as President before him.

The procession as it reaches the hill where our former president was buried.

We walked three blocks to the grave site. A color guard led the parade, followed by costumed personnel, military commanders, guests and then the High School band.

A view looking east from the grave site

We gathered at the beautiful spot above the Ohio River.

A view looking west from the grave site. The North Bend Mayor is speaking

The mayor of North Bend spoke first and MC’d the program.

An Army General brought the wreath and spoke about President Harrison's accomplishments

President Trump sent a representative, a general in the army, to lay the wreath.

The twenty-one musket salute

There were flag ceremonies and presentations, other wreaths set in place, and a 21 gun salute.

The High School Band

The local high school band played for the event.

Inside President Harrison's tomb

The entire event was very impressive. This is my first time attending such an event. I will probably look up some other events and celebrate our nation’s great history.