18 September 2007

Kendra Crandall
Class Journal - 18 September 2007
The day today began with the usual early breakfast. Some of us then went on to our Arabic language class in which we learned more about the Islamic observation of Ramadan. We were amazed to learn that the children of our “ustadh” (teacher), Ayman Jebrar’s, begin fasting at age seven. I think that every one of us has marveled at the dedication of the Muslim people, especially during this time of fasting.
Next was our two-hour Old Testament class. Today we dove into Leviticus. At first many of us were wary of whether or not we had much to learn from this particular book of the Old Testament. As we learned about the Peace Offering, however, Brother Ludlow made it clear that Jewish customs under the Mosaic Law parallel our customs today. He likened the Peace Offering (Leviticus 3 and 7) unto the distribution of our tithing in the Church today. Then we discussed the significance of “clean and unclean” in the Jewish Tradition. I think that we were all a little surprised at the eccentricity with which Jewish people observe the Law, but we were still able to recognize its parallels with our modern Word of Wisdom. We then jumped into the book of Numbers, specifically discussing the Nazirite Vow (Numbers 6). This applies to the modern missionary’s commitment to serving the Lord for two years. I always enjoy going to Old Testament class and discovering how the Old Testament is very relevant to our day thousands of years later.
We had a free afternoon during which many people stayed around the Center to study. I personally went exploring the Hebrew University Campus with some classmates – we saw a lot of the campus, mostly because we were lost and couldn’t find the exit. Despite our circumstance, we were able to really enjoy the beauty of the Campus.
At 4:00 we met for a two-hour session with Dr. Adnan Mussallam, our Palestinian Narrative professor, and learned more about how the aftermath of World War I shaped the lives of the people here. That night we continued to learn about the reality of modern-day conflict when we listened to the forum speaker and his points of view as a Christian Palestinian. He was obviously a very good man with a strong faith. As his own punch line went, “Do I believe in Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ and I practically grew up in the same neighborhood!” He had some interesting remarks regarding religion and our relationships with others; for example, he spoke about how we use our religion to distance ourselves from others, unable to recognize that we cannot have a good relationship with God without having a good relationship with others. He concluded on a hopeful note; he believes that, as long as people are willing to give something up, they are ready for a solution. I’m personally skeptical of his optimism, but it was refreshing as we currently reside within such a troubled society.