Page 26 - Holyland Magazine - 2022 Edition

Who shall ascend the

Mountain of the Lord?*

Mor e r eflections of tr ekking the length and br eadth of the Land of Milk & Honey
C of our ancestors, across landscapes of literally

ontinuing our series on the Israel Trail,
By Aryeh Green in this issue, come walk with me in the biblical proportions. At age 51, recently
divorced, in search of healing, I found it while
Jerusalem hills, up to, into, and back
down from God’s holy city.
over the course of two months, all alone, with
a 50-pound pack on my back, as I describe in
As I noted last year, walking the Land of Israel trekking through the land of milk and honey
along the Israel National Trail is an experience my book My Israel Trail: Finding Peace in the
like no other. It’s not only the wonderful forests Promised Land.
and mountains, streams and valleys, though
the vistas are indeed lovely. It’s not the hiking
challenges, even if the ascents and descents Prayers at Mitzpe Harel
of 500-1000 meters (1500-3000 feet) a day
aren’t easy. The spiritual connection a hiker
has with the people of Israel, who wandered
these and similar paths, in ancient and in more
recent times, is what makes all the difference.

Walking anywhere in the Land of Israel, for all
believers, carries great depth and meaning.
Hiking through the Holy Land – whether in the
mountains of the Galilee, on the coast of the
Mediterranean Sea, into the depths and across
the dry hills of the Negev desert, or ascending
to the holy mountain of Zion/Jerusalem –
means following quite plainly in the footsteps

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