You are to dwell in booths for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must dwell in booths, so that your descendants may know that I made the Israelites dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’ ” Lev 23:42
I am not native born. I am grafted in. Does that make a difference? Hindsight tells us that Sukkot is representative of the marriage feast of the Lamb, but what about those first observers? What was their “take”? Do the choices we make create our own wilderness?
The area of the Arabah where we stayed and especially Beit Hoglah is what I connected with. Although Joshua conquered Jericho after entering the land, it has since been predominantly occupied by Arabs. The Gaza strip and Jericho were handed over to the Palestinians in 1994 as part of the Oslo peace agreement. There was a Jewish presence in Jericho until 2000 with the outbreak of the 2nd Palestinian intifada when they burned Joseph’s tomb and the Shalom al Israel synagogue.
In order to maintain a Jewish presence in the area, Erna Covos, originally from Greece, lived alone for fifteen years on a farms planting and harvesting with the help of volunteers. After several forced moves she was finally settled in the south-east corner of Jericho, in the heart of Biblical Gilgal (in the Plains of Jericho), and directly across the Jordan from Mt Nebo, where Moses saw the land and spoke his last to the children of Israel. Beit Hogla is indeed located where the People of Israel signed the covenant with YHVH – by being circumcised under the leadership of Joshua.
Hoglah is the name of the third daughter of Zelophehad, who had no sons. The daughters petitioned Moses for land as an inheritance. Erna stands on this land as a spiritual descendant of Zelophehad.
Desert living is challenging. Even with today’s modern amenities of electricity, permanent housing, and maintained roads, things like altercations between people groups, flash flooding, and harsh living conditions make this hostile environment uninviting to most.
What it takes to live in the wilderness hasn’t changed. What it does do is change you, speak to you, teach you.
How was I changed? My first time stepping off the plane onto the tarmac at Ben Gurion, I “knew” I was home. It was a tour but not in the traditional sense of visiting “christian” sites. My second visit, I had prayed to get a feel for the lay of the land. This also was not a traditional tour. Each visit has left me with a different connection to the Land. This time, my forth, was spent mostly in the arabah near Hetzevah. It was during the holy days of Sukkot. My attachment to this particular area is undeniable. I belong here where reliance on the One who placed His Name on this land is not an option.