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My sister and I will be visiting our seminary daughters in Eretz Yisroel at the end of January IY”H. Two non-religious women from our office are tagging along with us. We’d like to take them to inspirational places. Any ideas? Any specific tours or tourguides?
Stay out of Beit Shemesh
Don’t take them to Beit shemesh
Try the hoffman tours or any other ones that are at that time. I went on one this pass summer to Meron. Tzefas, Tiveria, and amukah. There are also others going to meron, although that one may be expensive. We found this hanging by the buss stop, so u can look out for them. Other then that, i could just say the basics, kever rochel, kosel…etc..You should also try out jeeping, atv, boating, donkey riding…Use your time!!!!!!! We all wish to go! hope this helps!
Tunnel tours at the Kosel, which you’ll also be sure to visit. Just take a chareidi tour guide to point out the areas where you can’t come too close since they’re underneath and it’s in the area of the Kodosh HaKedoshim.
Another Hoffmann tour is to Masada and Ein Geidi. Real contrast seeing the desert and the whole area out there, also the Dead Sea.
Nechomah: None of the tunnel tours go past the Kosel (unless there are tunnel tours that I’m unaware of) so it’s impossible to be anywhere wear it’s Assur.
I loved the tour of Eir Dovid, City of David. It is right near the Kotel. It may be a little cold this time of year to wade in water.
I was on a tour with a guide from a group I believe is called Ateret Cohanim. The tunnels go under the Arab quarter into the direction of where I believe was the main part of the Beis HaMikdosh. It is not a matter of going past the Kosel. The guide said at one point that we were in a place that was opposite the Kodosh HaKedoshim and we should not put our hands over the rail that was erected at that point because there was a “chashash of our tuma’h”. Now I may be inaccurate on my terminology because the tour was about 18 years ago when I was a pretty new BT, but I did not make a mistake about the primary details.
Nechomah: If you stay behind the Kosel it is not possible to be anywhere that a Tamei is Assur to entire. The Kosel is the retaining wall of Har Habayis. As long as you are behind it you are not on Har Habayis and therefore not anywhere Assur.
They did tell us not to stick our fingers into the walls in certain places (in the Kotel tunnels), saying that anything beyond the outer surface of the wall is part of Har Habayis…I found that kind of interesting.
OOM: There is a Machlokes Haposkim whether sticking your fingers into the cracks counts as entering Har Habayis. That makes sense.
OOM, that sounds like what I remember. There was an area where the path went to the left and the wall on the right had a large recess compared to the wall in the rest of the walkway. We were told that we were in the area opposite Kodosh HaKedoshim and we should not put our hands on the other side the bar because of what you are saying. It was interesting. They gave us a few minutes to daaven in that area and say Tehillim.
If you happen to be around Yerushalayim for Shabbos you should take them to see what goes on at Rav Machles’ house on Shabbos, It is an unbelievable Kiddush Hashem.
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