Priestly Blessing

Jewish priests blessing the people

Today is the 3rd day of Sukkoth ... the day the Jewish priests, descendants of Aaron, come to the Wailing Wall to bless the nation. Thousands of jews and some foreigners came to the event. There 1st blessing was to take place at 9.30am and the 2nd at 10.30am after the relevant morning prayers.

I went early as I knew it would be packed and I won't get a good place. Also my jewish friends were there ... not for the blessing but to work as security. The blessing was late ... almost 9.50am. The cantor called hazzan called out sonorously "kohanim" meaning "priests" and all the priests, having washed and purified their hands and feet, gathered along the Wailing Wall with prayer shawls covering their bodies, raised their hands and sang the blessing of Aaron form Number 6:24-6.

Arab and Israeli police scuffle
photo from Haaretz

Though I go for the blessing every year, it never fails to strike me. It's very profound, very ancient, very surreal. An ancient ritual which took place 2000 years ago when the priests use to bless the people in the Temple.

But there was trouble on the way home. Arab women and students were waiting for the jews to leave the Wailing Wall and began harassing them, shouting insults and blocking the streets. Police had to come in and separate the jews and arabs. Later more arab demonstrations in the streets tough nothing violent. Nevertheless several people were arrested, including jews who attacked arabs.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.678063?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook

Bro Denis, our longtime teacher at my secondary school, died last night. A french canadian Gabrielite brother who spent his entire life in Singapore as a teacher. Great man and missionary. RIP

Meantime the eclipse of the super moon 2 nights ago is causing zionist christians great fear ... superstitious and lacking any theological formation, a spirituality based on superficial reading of the bible and blind zionism, they now think the eclipse is the end of the world. Good for them.