Masada

At 4:15 in the morning, the students of Heller High began their day. After grabbing a bagged lunch and a few announcements, we began our hike in the dark to the base of Masada. At the base, we prepared ourself for the challenge of the next hour.

The hike up Masada was one of the most challenging things I have ever done, since I have exercise-induced asthma. The hike started off fine, in fact I found myself leading the group for the first half. We were singing songs, cracking jokes, and telling stories. However, that enthusiasm did not last. As the night turned to dusk, the temperature grew, along with the aching of my legs. I found myself stopping every minute to take a breath. I remember my heart pounding through my chest and the struggle I had to keep a beat as I breathed. I was soon in the back of the group, and people had to wait for me before they could continue. It was the encouragement of my classmates, teachers, and complete strangers that kept me going.

I made it to the top of Masada two minutes before sunrise. I joined my classmates and we all watched the amazing sunrise as we still healed from our hike. I remember the cheers and the complete change of mood as the sun rose, everyone realizing where they were and what they just accomplished.

After watching the sunrise, we had a beautiful tefillah service and split into our two groups.

The word Masada (מצדה) in Hebrew translates to "the fortress" in english. This makes perfect sense, since it is high up on a plateau so it is safe from danger, and it can also keep an eye out on the world around it.

The first stop that we went to was the Northern tip of the mountain, this is where King Herod would reside as he wished.  We looked at a replica of his palace, and then took a group picture.King Herod had the goal that the people on Masada could live on the top for ten years without coming down for supplies. By doing so, he made a few necessary modifications. First, he dug trenches from Mt. Chevron to Masada so that there was a reliable water source. Next, he added twenty-nine storage units to hold items such as dried fruits and weapons. A third, and not as necessary modification was the construction of his palace. Herod's palace, facing north in order to get a cool breeze, had three main layers to it. The top layer was the palace itself, or where the King lived.  The second layer was the spot where Herod would entertain, often to his Roman and Jewish guests.  And the bottom layer was a guest house, equipped with a bath house.  

At the end of the Great Revolt, the Zealots from Jerusalem (warrior sect) fled to Masada.  They did this because zealots have been living at Masada already for a few years before.  The first battle of the Great Revolt was in fact the battle where the Zealots took Masada from the Romans.  They were able to do this by climbing up the side of the mountain, vowing that if they fell they would do so quietly.  They picked Masada because they knew that it was a place where they could sustain life for a long period of time.  

When the Zealots conquered Masada, they put in a few additions to make it seem more like home.  First, they added many Mikvehs, but they did it for other reasons than praying at the temple.  The main reason for the mikveh is for women to bathe in it after their menstrual cycle, since it is an interaction with death.  They did this so that the Jewish people could reproduce.  Another addition to Masada was a synagogue.  The synagogue was built so that the Jewish people would sit facing each other, building sense of community.  Also, although it was already there, they made sure that the art in the bath house was kosher, or doesn’t have any figures on it.  They did this so that they could sustain Jewish life and keep Judaism alive.  Within this is the vision of the dry bones.  The vision of the dried bones is how the Jewish people will rise up again from their ashes, and God will breathe air back into them.  

Eventually, the Romans got their revenge.  They surrounded Masada and built a ramp in order to siege the top. However, when the Romans got to the top, they found that all 960 inhabitants of Masada were dead, according to Josephus Flavius.    It is very hard to understand their actions, but many people have tried to infer why they did what they did.  One reason why they might have killed themselves is because they did not want to become slaves as they were in Egypt, and they were celebrating the holiday of Passover.  The Rabbi’s at the time did not recognize the fall of Masada.  All though we do not for sure know why the rabbis do not recognize it, there are a few inferences.  The first reason is that they did not condemn or approve of what the Zealots did, because it was going against the ten commandments.  A second reason is because they did not want to say something terrible about Masada.  The third reason is that they didn’t write out of respect. But once again, we are not sure why, it is all speculation.  

Today, we often vow to “not let Masada fall again.”  By saying this, it shows that the Jewish people will fight through thick and thin in order to preserve their land and their religion.  To me, Masada represents the land of Israel and by saying that we will never let Masada fall again, we will not let Israel fall again.

My question for Kitaat Maayan is this:  I interpret the acts of bravery that took place at the top of Masada as doing ultimate sacrifices for what you are passionate about.  What are some things that you are passionate about, and what are you willing to sacrifice in order to keep them?  Are there some things you would sacrifice nothing for? Are there some things you would die for?