Mt. Zion, King David's Tomb, Dormition Abbey, Room of the Last Supper, The City of David, Western Wall, and Shabbat Dinner

This morning after breakfast we drove to the Old City to visit Mt. Zion, King David's tomb, Dormition Abbey, and the Room of the Last Supper.  The marks of bullets from 1948 still pepper the front of Zion's gate.  In the place that is the traditional site for the Last Supper I spoke with a Muslim man named Mohammad.  He works in the area as a custodian.  I asked him about his faith and he was quick to respond that we are all the same in God's eyes, whether Muslims, Jews or Christians.  He pointed to some tiles above the door with Arabic writing and asked me if I knew what it meant.  It was a great opportunity to surprise him with a recitation of the fatiha.

We weaved our way into the city of David, the original Jerusalem, where there have been many exciting archeological discoveries.  We hiked through a tunnel that used to serve as a drainage system for sacrifices on the temple mount, and we explored the southern wall excavations.  Some of the stones that were used in the construction of the temple wall are as big as a bus.  It's an incredible feat of engineering.

We had lunch in the Jewish quarter, mostly shawarma and chips (French fries).  After lunch we went to Ha Kotel, the Western Wall, to pray.  It was a cold and rainy day, but it didn't stop us from making the most of the experience.  However, like most of the Jews, I could only gaze longingly at the temple mount.

After Sabbath prayer at the Western Wall, we returned to the Hotel to rest and to freshen up for Shabbat dinner.  Out of respect for the Sabbath and for our hosts, we didn't take any pictures, but Shabbat dinner was one of the highlights of the trip thus far.  Our host family was very gracious, and their reverence for the Sabbath is admirable and worthy of emulation.  We partook of the Challa bread and drank the juice from the fruit of the vine.  There was singing and focus on Deity and on relationships.  It was a joyous and edifying welcoming in of the Sabbath.  The head of the household shared some ideas for the Sabbath that were inspiring and thought provoking, and he and his wife blessed their children.  The children told jokes that were funny in Hebrew, even though most of the guests couldn't understand them.  More adventures tomorrow.  Shabbat shalom!