Treading the Torah.

I am currently reading “Walking the Bible” where I ran across a quote that resonated with me: “it’s that tension- between being with others and being alone, between reaching salvation within a sometimes unruly community and seeking enlightenment on your own—that lies at the heart of the story of Mt. Sinai.”
Physically, a place like the desert represents this kind of conflict- the pulling between the chance of experiencing a spiritual peak in isolation, or immersing oneself in the (very human; flawed) behavioral patterns of a community. I whole-heartedly appreciate the rationale behind this classic conflict. In Israel and Egypt especially, I have felt an indescribable draw to the desert- to the unknown. To the untouched beauty, to the purity that sand washes away, and to the history of the wanderers that have been drawn there for decades. Similarly, the cities of the Middle East are brimming with religious diversity, aromas, historical monuments, and cultural anomalies that challenge your intellect. For centuries, people have sought the refuge of the desert: the Israelites, hermits, monks, and pilgrims in attempts to reach some kind of spiritual high. Traveling is my spiritual high. While I love the mysterious promise of the desert, my time alone from the world is found anywhere outside myself. I love escaping from the world I know into my version of reality. Throwing yourself into a place where you can’t communicate, can’t read the signs, don’t know the food, and have never walked the streets- that is what I crave. The plunge, those moments where you say to yourself- holy shit, what did I do?
I never truly appreciated the places I have been treading over for the last year. Without even knowing it, I have walked a significant portion of the Bible/the Torah throughout my travels in Israel and Egypt. I climbed to the place where Moses received the 10 Commandments, I floated down the Nile where Moses was, lived where Joseph reigned, traveled through the desert where the Israelites fled to, climbed the pyramids the Israelites built, and am living in the promised land where they finally arrived. I live in the place where the three major religions experienced their split. It blows my mind. And I love every minute of it.
I have discovered so much in these two years during all my travels and now have found myself inextricably obsessed with religion. The book “Walking the Bible” has forced me to conclude that my passion for understanding the three major religions is not something that will go away. I’m a woman obsessed. Anybody want to start a faith club?