Ein Gedi was our first stop.  Situated in the middle of a vast desert, it does not seem from afar that a tranquil place where all manner of life flourishes lurks just nearby, but life is deceptive.  Entering a larger gate, the Birthright group quickly found ourselves in a lush area of green with beautiful cliffs and roaring waterfalls. 

 

Not only is this a beautiful place that laughs in the face of normalcy in nature, but the locale has some historic value as well.  Many a story of King David, on the run from the soon to not be King Saul takes place in this lush oasis.  The most predominant of those being when David hid in a cave at the top of a large waterfall.  This waterfall happens to be at the top of the climb our group made while exploring this feat of nature.

 

The fun did not stop there though, next came one of the most famous locales in Israel:  The Dead Sea.

 

Now, you would think the Dead Sea would indicate a body of water that holds no value and might even be dangerous to traverse.  All of the following statements are false.  

 

First off, the Dead Sea is not really even considered water.  Instead it is a solution of various minerals, water, and of course, a high concentration of salt.  The reason the Dead Sea is called such is because the high salt concentration makes life within the water virtually impossible.

 

That does not mean that life is lacking nearby the water.  The minerals wash up on the shore creating a safe zone of sorts for animals that live in the nearby desert.  These same minerals also have practical uses for humans.  From healing to smoothing out the skin, there are all sorts of spa and health related reasons to visit the Dead Sea.

 

Most famous of all though, is entering the Dead Sea itself.  I proceed to do so and quickly floated on top of the water.  The solution also touched my skin.  As is famously documented on countless science articles and Facebook statuses everywhere, when the salt touches your body, you will be aware of every single cut, scar, and nick on your body.  In my case, this meant the jellyfish stings that I had gained a few days prior.  Also I would not recommend farting in the Dead Sea.  Don’t ask how I know this.

 

The day of adventures was coming to an end, but Shabbat was just beginning. I used this time to reflect on how my trip had gone so far.  I also began to come to terms with the fact that this amazing experience was coming to an end soon.