Sunday, October 31, 2004
News from Yisroel!
Oh did I misspell that
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 17:29:34 +0200
From: Lobelio
Subject: The Watergate Affair
Dear All,
The summer is over in Jerusalem. Yesterday there were 34 C / 93 F in
the morning but only 18 C / 64 F at noon. Clouds came with hail and
chilly storm rain. It was the first rain in previous six months. When I
ascended the roof I saw the desert became green and I smelled the air full
of flower aroma.
Roofs are horizontal and are made in terraces. Living above I see what my
neighbours do and their wash-tubs gathering rainfall. After the sun boils
this water, it is excellent for baths. "And it came to pass in an
eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof
of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman washing herself. And
the woman was very beautiful to look upon." (2 Sam 11:2) I do not have so
excellent view as David had, for the nearest building is a leprosorium.
That is something that did not change since the Biblical times, I see many
dying of leprosy.
Water that omits wash-tubs travels through gutters to cisterns that
are located under yards. The deepest one I saw is seven meters deep.
So, I try to be polite and silent because I do not want to deal with
the same problems one of loquacious prophets had. "Then took they
Jeremiah, and cast him into the cistern (...) that was under the court of
the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon
there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire." (Jer 38,6)
The cisterns are only a part of water system. The most of water comes from
spings. The ancient Jerusalem was dependant from an abundant spring of
Gihon, the same one where Salomon was crowned, "and [they] caused Solomon
to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon (...) and all the
people said, God save king Solomon!" (1 Kings 1:38-39)
The Gihon is out of walls on a slope and, however it run to the
Kidron, part of water run to an underground niche under the city. A
shaft goes up from the niche. It is called the Warren's Shaft or the
Watergate. Buckets for water were lowered here in the time of a siege when
Gihon was unaccessable. Not by charging the walls but by climbing the
ropes of buckets the men of David took the Jebusite city. (cf. 2 Sam 5:8)
Hezekiah, the king of Judea, did not want to be attacked in the same
way as David came into to the city, so he closed the shaft in the time of
Assyrian siege in 701 before Christ. He ordered to dig a tunnel, so all
waters of Gihon would go to a pool inside of the walls. For many people
can use a pool simultanously, and a shaft is very inconvenient. "Hezekiah
also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down
to the west side of the city of David." (2 Chron 32:30)
The tunnel is 533 meters / 1750 feet long and you can travel it with a
torch walking in water up to your knees. There is also an ancient Hebrew
inscription inside, which gives a hint that the tunnel was digged from two
directions simultanously. When finally you get out of the tunnel, the pool
you are in is called Siloe. Tunel ma 533 metry dlugosci i mozna nim
przejsc z latarka w reku, wode majac po kolana. Mniej wiecej na
trzechsetnym metrze jest starohebrajska inskrypcja, z ktorej wynika, ze
kopano z dwu stron rownoczesnie, i ze tym sposobem zdecydowano sie
upamietnic miejsce spotkania obu zespolow robotnikow. Sadzawka, do ktorej
sie dochodzi nosi nazwe Siloah.
Lobi
PS. It takes King David to break into the Watergate without the danger of
an impeachment following.
PPS. Thanks to your support I will have enough money to eat even twice a
day. But the checks need to be prooved before I will get the cash (which
will happen on November 15). As for now I am trying to arrange supper for
I have not eaten for 27 hours.
PPPS. I keep Mrs. Lewis in my prayers.
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 17:29:34 +0200
From: Lobelio
Subject: The Watergate Affair
Dear All,
The summer is over in Jerusalem. Yesterday there were 34 C / 93 F in
the morning but only 18 C / 64 F at noon. Clouds came with hail and
chilly storm rain. It was the first rain in previous six months. When I
ascended the roof I saw the desert became green and I smelled the air full
of flower aroma.
Roofs are horizontal and are made in terraces. Living above I see what my
neighbours do and their wash-tubs gathering rainfall. After the sun boils
this water, it is excellent for baths. "And it came to pass in an
eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof
of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman washing herself. And
the woman was very beautiful to look upon." (2 Sam 11:2) I do not have so
excellent view as David had, for the nearest building is a leprosorium.
That is something that did not change since the Biblical times, I see many
dying of leprosy.
Water that omits wash-tubs travels through gutters to cisterns that
are located under yards. The deepest one I saw is seven meters deep.
So, I try to be polite and silent because I do not want to deal with
the same problems one of loquacious prophets had. "Then took they
Jeremiah, and cast him into the cistern (...) that was under the court of
the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon
there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire." (Jer 38,6)
The cisterns are only a part of water system. The most of water comes from
spings. The ancient Jerusalem was dependant from an abundant spring of
Gihon, the same one where Salomon was crowned, "and [they] caused Solomon
to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon (...) and all the
people said, God save king Solomon!" (1 Kings 1:38-39)
The Gihon is out of walls on a slope and, however it run to the
Kidron, part of water run to an underground niche under the city. A
shaft goes up from the niche. It is called the Warren's Shaft or the
Watergate. Buckets for water were lowered here in the time of a siege when
Gihon was unaccessable. Not by charging the walls but by climbing the
ropes of buckets the men of David took the Jebusite city. (cf. 2 Sam 5:8)
Hezekiah, the king of Judea, did not want to be attacked in the same
way as David came into to the city, so he closed the shaft in the time of
Assyrian siege in 701 before Christ. He ordered to dig a tunnel, so all
waters of Gihon would go to a pool inside of the walls. For many people
can use a pool simultanously, and a shaft is very inconvenient. "Hezekiah
also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down
to the west side of the city of David." (2 Chron 32:30)
The tunnel is 533 meters / 1750 feet long and you can travel it with a
torch walking in water up to your knees. There is also an ancient Hebrew
inscription inside, which gives a hint that the tunnel was digged from two
directions simultanously. When finally you get out of the tunnel, the pool
you are in is called Siloe. Tunel ma 533 metry dlugosci i mozna nim
przejsc z latarka w reku, wode majac po kolana. Mniej wiecej na
trzechsetnym metrze jest starohebrajska inskrypcja, z ktorej wynika, ze
kopano z dwu stron rownoczesnie, i ze tym sposobem zdecydowano sie
upamietnic miejsce spotkania obu zespolow robotnikow. Sadzawka, do ktorej
sie dochodzi nosi nazwe Siloah.
Lobi
PS. It takes King David to break into the Watergate without the danger of
an impeachment following.
PPS. Thanks to your support I will have enough money to eat even twice a
day. But the checks need to be prooved before I will get the cash (which
will happen on November 15). As for now I am trying to arrange supper for
I have not eaten for 27 hours.
PPPS. I keep Mrs. Lewis in my prayers.
