Masada

At Masada this morning, after a very early wake up and short climb up the Roman path - as opposed to the longer, more chosen snake path - we watched the beautiful sunrise that attracts so many people to the ancient fortress. Watching the sun peek over the mountains on the other side of Yam HaMelach (Dead Sea) was very inspirational, and in the distance, some of us said morning prayers with the rising golden sun illuminating the words on the pages of Siddurim.
Although watching the beautiful sunrise was inspiring, the image quickly left my head, as it only lasts a moment, and beautiful sunrises can be seen almost anywhere. But what stuck in my mind more about the day wasn't the rising sun, or the inspirational prayer, or the stories or history that the remnants told. After a whole morning touring Masada, the thing that stuck in my mind the most was what we saw as we prepared to leave.
As we walked by the top of the snake path, a large group of soldiers were walking up on a hike. A few dozen soldiers in uniform, taking turns carrying each other on stretchers, worked their way up the side of Masada, singing songs to keep themselves motivated. As they hiked up, singing, "We are believers, sons of believers, and we have no one else to rely on, but on Our Father in Heaven," I felt a sort of inspiration that cannot be felt by a beautiful sunrise or impressive fortresses of the past. I felt inspired by the message of now, and the message of the future.
After hearing the story of Masada, of Jews rebelling against tyranny and taking their own lives as Roman soldiers climbed the sides of their fortress, here I got to see soldiers once again climb the sides of Masada. But instead of oppressors coming to enslave and destroy the Jewish people, Israeli soldiers, coming to protect the continuity of the Jewish people rose up and reached the top. And as they did so, tired and in need of someone to lift them up, they sang out with great strength about the power of God uplifting those in need of someone to rely on.
The sun rises and sets every day, and every day it looks just as glorious as the day before. But the sunrise is not what I find most inspiring. Although the Jews of Masada saw limited sunrises like that of today's, the soldiers that today climb Masada give hope that we as a people may see limitless sunrises, and that, not the rising and setting sun, is something even more eternal, inspirational, and worth praying for.

By Yoni Buckman