Touring Israel with a tour guide

#ImagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael The Sea Daffodil "I am a flower of Sharon, a lily of the valley" - Song of Songs 2:1 Many scholars believe this poetic verse refers to the Pancratium maritimum - the Sea Daffodil (Havatzelet ha-Khof in Hebrew). Its name in Hebrew is closely related to Havatzelet ha-Sharon (Rose of Sharon) & it grows naturally along Israel's coastal plain - the very region mentioned in Scripture . Here's why this flower is so special: Blooms late summer to autumn (July–October), just when few other flowers are in season The flowers open toward evening & fade by late morning, pollinated by hawk-moths that visit during calm, windless nights It grows just above the high-tide mark on sandy beaches, with waxy leaves that protect against sea salt It has a subtle, intoxicating scent; a delicate lily fragrance that only becomes perceptible on still summer nights The Rose of Sharon appears twice in the bible: in Song of Songs AND Isaiah 35:...

The Goat #ImagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael The Scapegoat of Yom Kippur: On Yom Kippur, the High Priest would take two goats. One was sacrificed, & the other - the "scapegoat" (Azazel) - was sent into the wilderness, carrying the sins of the people away (Leviticus 16). It's the ultimate symbol of a fresh start & removal of guilt. This event is so central that it literally gave us the English word "scapegoat"! But the goat wasn't just for atonement! In the Song of Solomon, the beloved's hair is compared to a "flock of goats descending from Gilead" (Song 4:1) . The black, long-haired goats of Israel were seen as a symbol of beauty, vitality & abundance. Goats were historically the backbone of the Israelite economy, providing milk, meat, & hair for the Tabernacle curtains. They were so important that the expression "a land flowing with milk & honey" (Exodus 3:8) literally meant goat's milk! Would you l...

#ImagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael The chameleon Most people know the chameleon for its colour-changing superpower. But did you know this fascinating creature appears in the Bible? In Leviticus (Vayikra) 11:30, listed among the "creeping things" that the Israelites were prohibited from eating is the Hebrew word חֹמֶט (chomet) Israel is home to two subspecies of the Common Chameleon C. c. recticrista (CCR) – inhabits the Mediterranean climate of northern Israel C. c. musae (CCM) – confined to the sandy habitats of the north-western Negev Desert What's remarkable? These two subspecies have been genetically separated for over a million years by an ancient marine barrier at the Jezreel Valley, the same valley that cuts across northern Israel . In the Negev, female chameleons bury their eggs in desert soil for an astonishing 11 months before they hatch . During nesting season (October–November), researchers track their movements through the sand to find nests buri...

#ImagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael Laughing Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis) The Laughing Dove's name comes from its distinctive call: ha ha hoo hoo hoo . The dove is mentioned throughout the Bible, often carrying deep symbolism: In the Psalms , the psalmist pleads: "Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast!" (Psalm 74:19) In Jeremiah , the prophet notes that "the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow observe the time of their coming" (Jeremiah 8:7) - highlighting the dove's migratory patterns  In the Song of Songs , the beloved is called "my dove in the clefts of the rock" (Song of Songs 2:14) - a beautiful image of security & intimacy  The dove was also used in sacrifices & purification rites in the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 1:14; 5:7; 12:6,8) & Mary offered "a pair of turtledoves" at the Temple following the birth of Jesus'  (Luke 2:22-24)  Our sages saw in the dove a metaphor for ...

#imagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael The story of grapes in Israel From the spies carrying a single cluster so large it required two men to bear it (Numbers 13:23), to Jesus declaring "I am the true vine" (John 15:1), the grape is woven into Israel's story like no other fruit.  The Cluster of grapes Cave in Jerusalem -  Cave of the Eshkolot , an ancient 1st - 2nd century CE burial cave in Jerusalem from the Second Temple period  It served as a lavish tomb for a wealthy Jewish family The grape is one of the Seven Species that bless the Land (Deuteronomy 8:8).   A fruitful vine symbolised Israel at its best, while wild grapes spoke of disobedience (Isaiah 5, Jeremiah 2) Baskets with grapes in maon old synagogue mosaic, western negev Grapes appear in celebrations, in offerings & in acts of kindness eg when Ziba brought 100 clusters of raisins to sustain the exhausted King David in the wilderness (2 Samuel 16:1)   Israel's diverse climate, from...

#ImagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael The Whale - in Israel's waters. The ancient port of Jaffa (Yafo) is where the prophet Jonah made a fateful decision. God commanded him to go to Nineveh & deliver a message of repentance. Instead, Jonah boarded a ship heading in the opposite direction - straight into a storm.  Well, according to the bible story, anyway! You know the rest: thrown overboard, swallowed by a "great fish" (often depicted as a whale) & after 3 days & nights in the deep, spit out onto dry land to fulfil his mission But here's what many don't know: whales are real visitors to Israel's shores. The image at the top is a Fin whale. Sperm Whales: The most frequently documented large whale species in Israeli waters, though sightings remain incredibly rare. An isolated, endangered population of a few hundred lives across the Eastern Mediterranean Cuvier's Beaked Whales: Also present in the deep-sea waters off Israel's coast, ...