Touring Israel with a tour guide

#ImagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael The Olive The olive first appears in the Bible when a dove returns to Noah with an olive leaf, a sign that the floodwaters had receded & that life was beginning again. Today, an olive branch still appears on the emblem of the State of Israel, symbolising peace. The olive is one of the שבעת המינים — the Seven Species with which the Land of Israel is blessed: “A land of wheat & barley, of vines, figs & pomegranates, a land of olive trees & honey.” - Deuteronomy 8:8 Pure olive oil was used to light the menorah in the Tabernacle. Olive oil was also used to anoint kings & priests. giving us the word Messiah, meaning “the anointed one” The 10th-century BCE Gezer Calendar records the agricultural cycle of the Land of Israel, including the olive harvest. The Bible also commanded farmers not to strip their olive trees completely: “When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for...

#ImagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael The Nile Perch (Lates niloticus)" Nile Fish played a starring role in both biblical judgment & prophecy. 1. The Plague of Blood (Exodus) When Moses turned the Nile to blood, the fish died, the river stank & the Egyptians couldn't drink from it (Exodus 7:18, 21). The impact was devastating: • Fish were a staple of the Egyptian diet • Some species were actually worshipped as sacred • A direct blow to Egypt's economy AND its religion 2. Prophetic Judgment (Isaiah & Ezekiel) The prophets later used Nile fish to symbolize Egypt's complete downfall: Isaiah 19:8 – "Those who fish will mourn... all who cast hooks in the Nile will lament." Ezekiel 29 – Pharaoh is compared to a great sea monster. When dragged out of the river, all the fish stuck to his scales & were cast into the desert - a vivid image of total defeat. The main spawning season runs from December - April, peaking in February & March. A s...

#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 ...