Day 7
After a most restful night at Sde Boker, we set out bright and early to a panoramic vista of beauty and pleasure hiking in Nachal Hawarim. Besides enjoying the view of the desert with its blue sky, we also learned about wilderness survival, namely, eating the maluach plant and “ibex feces,” chocolate-covered malt balls scattered in the dirt, disguised as feces. Elaun pretended people in the desert eat ibex feces, popping a malt ball in his mouth, encouraging other participants to eat them too. We went down a path with a challenging rocky slope from which we beheld the clear view for miles around.
Following the hike, we loaded our dust/sand covered yet happy bodies into the bus and traveled to Shvil Hasalat, the heaven of all things natural, healthy and tasty. There we stuffed ourselves with premium oranges, cherry tomatoes, strawberries and carrots. We heard from chaluztzim, pioneers, who have cultivated the Negev and in less than thirty years have made it bloom and are daily fulfilling David Ben-Gurion’s dream and vision for Israel. It was fascinating to see how they grow and farm. They suspend the produce plants from the ground to keep them from disease and employ the expert pollination skills of the bees all within the “hot-houses” in the middle of the desert.
Lunch was amazing! It was a perfect formula composed of all natural kabob meat, hummus, tchina and the freshest vegetable salads ever.
For the evening, we went to spend time at Kfar Hanokdim with the Bedouins. They run a brisk business where they bring tourists together, give them a rustic tent, a short camel ride, a hearty meal and some Q&A on Bedouin life. It’s interesting to experience but in essence it seems that this business makes them not Bedouins since they don’t really migrate anymore and stay in that location running their business.
It was an excellent bonding experience for our group. We sat together in the dust and rough weather conditions of the desert but none of these apparent discomforts mattered because we were so united around the fire as achim with much simcha.
Perhaps one of the most significant experiences of this trip was when we hiked out into the darkness of the desert underneath the full moon and sat in silent thought and meditation. It was a real tear jerker when it finally hit us all, as the song Mitachat HaShamayim by David Broza played, that every moment is fleeting and that we must cherish these times especially in our youth in the land of Israel. For many this was a time of finding meaning deep within and making commitments to a truly meaningful lifestyle.
It is commonly said that a change in place and a change in pace yields to a change in perspective. It was clear that day seven has significantly contributed to what will culminate to a more enlightened perspective on Israel, the world, G-d and the realm He brought into being.
