Tour Masada:
Fortress of Heroes

You can feel the power of Masada from the moment you first behold this towering desert plateau. You'll ascend by cable-car - or meet the challenge of the Snake Path - to the top. When you tour Masada's ruins - the imposing palaces, intricate mosaics, huge reservoirs, and walls built by King Herod - you might think that Masada is about the earthly power of kings.

From the summit, the magnificent tableau of the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea and the Mountains of Moab might lead you to think Masada is about the power of nature.

From the summit, (you will see) the magnificent tableau of the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea and the Mountains of Moab

Then, you visit the synagogue where the Jewish rebels against Rome gathered, and where archaeologists discovered the scroll of Ezekiel, with its memorable words: "you will come to life..." (Ezek. 37:4). But hearing the end of the story, that the rebels took their own lives before Rome could defeat them, you might think that Masada is about the earthly power of the emperor.

But then you remember the ringing words of Masada's leader, Elazar, exhorting his community to defy the greatest earthly power of their day. And then you will realize what Masada is truly about: the power of the spirit, which always triumphs in the end.