Vacationing with God

By Jack Lin

From having traveled the world, I pass onto you a piece of advice: travel as a pilgrim, not as a tourist. I define a pilgrim as a person who is a humble seeker and open to new experiences. And when a new experience does happen, a pilgrim accepts it, believes in it, and treasures it.

Get out from behind your camera or cell phone. Utilize your sensessmell, touch, and feel the place. The world is not a museum. Embrace it all and expect the unexpected. Perhaps you too will be blessed with mystical experiences. However, no one has the ability to create these experiences; they are truly authentic. One cannot make them happen; either they happen or they dont.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543482645

Jack Lin

As I review this material, I again ask myself the question, why is the Israeli soil so holy? I have found spiritual energy at other locations on the globe - an island near the North Pole, a mountain in the Australian Outback, a cave in Greece, a spot on the Ganges River. But, at least for me, the concentration of this type of energy is in Israel. And then it came to me. Thinking again about the quotes about the Jews from some of the worlds greatest thinkers, I surmised a connection. The force of humanity contains all people, with Christians, Jews & Muslims comprising the largest portion. And this energy of humankind started with a connection to the soil.

Book preview

VACATIONING

WITH GOD

Dr. Jack Lin

Copyright © 2018 by Dr. Jack Lin.

Library of Congress Control Number:             2018901361

ISBN:                   Hardcover                      978-1-5434-8178-5

                            Softcover                        978-1-5434-8177-8

                             eBook                              978-1-5434-8264-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 03/16/2018

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Introduction 2

Foreword

PART I - Adventures

Chapter 1   Arrival to the Holy Land

Adventure One - The Nativity/Christian For a Day

Adventure Two - Visiting Hebron

Adventure Three - Visiting Rachel’s Tomb

Chapter 2   Spiritual Experiences

Chapter 3   Resting Places

Adventure Four – Tombs Of Ancients – Northern Israel

Adventure Five - The Tomb of Absalom

Chapter 4   Spiritual Places

Chapter 5   Walls and Wells

Adventure Six - Mary’s Well in Nazareth

Adventure Seven – The Western Wall

Chapter 6   The Trip to Mount Sinai

Adventure Eight (a) – Climbing Mount Sinai

Adventure Eight (b) – The Call to Prayer (The Adhan) Muslim For a Day

Chapter 7   The Power of Stone

Adventure Nine – King David’s Tomb

Adventure Ten – The Wall Again

Chapter 8   Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Adventure Eleven - Christian for a Day

Chapter 9   Mount Moriah and the Dome of the Rock

Adventure Twelve - Dome of the Rock

PART II - Reflections and Analysis of Israel

Chapter 10 Historical Civilizations

Chapter 11 The Jewish Civilization

Miracle 1: Jewish Peoples’ Survival

Chapter 12 Part A

Chapter 12 Miracles

God Touching Man – The Present

Miracle 2: Tel Aviv Bus

Miracle 3: Rocket Failure

Miracle 4: Preponderance of Great

Miracle 5: Long Island Storm

Miracle 6: Washington/Delaware

Miracle 7: Growth of Isreal

Miracle 8: Operation Entebbe

Miracle 9: Missile from Gaza

Miracle 10: Golan Heights

Miracle 11: Lt. Zwi Greengold

Miracle 12: Gaza Strip

David and Goliath

Chapter 12 Part B

Chapter 12 Miracles

Man Touching God - The Past

Chapter Twelve Part C

12 - Part C - The Future

Afterword

Going to Israel

Appendix

The highest point a man can attain is not Knowledge, or Virtue, or Goodness, or Victory, but something even greater, more heroic and more despairing: Sacred Awe!

- Nikos Kazantzakis

Dedicated to

Dr. Brueh Joy

Vivere deinde Philosophare

Live, then philosophize

(Carl Jung)

Editor – Sheri Lin, MA

The Jewish National Fund helped supply the photos in this book.

INTRODUCTION

This book is an invitation to do something that you and I have probably urged others to do, but rarely do ourselves: Be open to new experiences. How often have you heard this or said it to yourself? As a professor, I have said it a hundred times, but have only done it a few times in my life. Fortunately, one of the times is when I read and absorbed this book of experiences and adventures by Jack Lin.

I suspect that many of us have had an experience that we would call being in touch with the Deity. I also suspect that most of us have been reluctant to admit to others that we have had such feelings. Perhaps this is because we are in an age of science and technology and such feelings don’t seem quite in touch with the times.

I think that many more of us would like to feel in touch with something beyond everyday experiences and feelings. This book is a kind of guide and source for those among us who would like to be more in touch with their spiritual feelings. You might want to just let yourself go and join the author as he travels around the world and allows himself to acknowledge and experience the Deity.

I would also urge you to not put off such experiences until you are in the same places as the author. I don’t think it is always necessary to be in a specific place to have such experiences. You should not deny yourself any opportunities because you are in more ordinary places.

Israel is the Homeland to three of the major Western Religions and their history is there. However, on this vacation don’t seek the religious doctrine. Religion asks you to believe what you have been told, but these laws, traditions, stories, etc., are the remembrance of the original Mystics who experienced them. On this vacation, the author asks you to find your own mystical experiences.

The experiences and adventures that the author and others have encountered in this book, may not follow their own religious dogma. Spiritual experiences are so deep and so real, it effects the individual with a feeling of joy, peace and ecstasy, and in fact, it is ineffable. If you immerse yourself in the Holy soul of God, you may feel ecstasy and this experience may change your life.

Ecstasy is an interesting word. In fact, there is a synthetic drug that young people use today called Ecstasy. The short pharmaceutical name for it is MDMA, a drug that alters your mood and perception. Ecstasy is a trans-like state, in which an individual transcends normal consciousness. Unfortunately, if you use the synthetic drug to achieve the state of ecstasy the effect can be either dark or bright. It can also be addictive.

When you experience ecstasy through a spiritual experience, there is no baggage, ill-effects or problems that can come with it. It is an overpowering emotion and exaltation and opening awareness of the universe and God.

Join hands with the author and other adventurers in this book and discover your own soul!

Two thousand years ago, Rabbi Hillel asked: If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If not now, when?

If not now, when will you open yourself up to experiences the Divine?

Professor - Dr. George Zilbergeld

INTRODUCTION 2

The Talmud tells a story of a man who wandered in the desert, weary, hungry and thirsty. He came upon a tree with sweet fruit, a pleasant shade and stream of water flowing beneath it. He ate from its fruit, drank from its water and relaxed in its shade. As he was about to depart, a refreshed traveler, he turned to the tree and said, Tree, oh tree, how can I bless you? Shall I bless you, that your fruit shall be sweet? They are already so! Shall I bless you with pleasant shade? You already have it! Shall I bless you that a stream of water pass beneath you? One already does! All I can bless you with is that the trees that are offspring of you shall be like you.

Dr. Jack Lin embodies the verse in Psalms They search for God where he can be found, where He is close to Him. As a man of science and history, he was hungry for substantive truth, so he traveled to Israel to see, feel, hear, touch and smell God’s footprints here on earth. As a man of enlightenment, he was thirsty for spirituality, so he traveled to places of major spiritual events connected to God’s omnipresence. As a man of psychology, he was curious, so he searched his conscious and subconscious worlds to discover an inner omnipotence.

Over the last six months that I have known the author, I have learned that he no longer the wanderer of this parable, but has become the tree. His fruits of philanthropy have forever improved Jewish life in Israel, our homeland. His shade of protection hovers wide above his beloved friends and family. His curiosity flows like a river, constantly moving forward towards far reaching discovery. There is much to learn and emulate from this man of youth, sincerity and abundance.

To all the young people out there that are still unsure of their passion, dreams and inner truth: deep down, we’re all weary, hungry and thirsty. That is a good thing! When harnessed, these characteristics propel us to become energetic, sustained and brimming with achievement. Spend some time with Dr. Jack, and you’ll see why.

In this book, the author shares many experiences and discoveries that fall outside of my area of experience. Jewish law prohibits the study of the nation’s deities. This ruling precludes my ability to read, recommend or comment on those aspects, events and discussions.

Man’s search for meaning will never end. The author will be the first to tell you that when you spend time, Vacationing with God, there will always be time for one more week. Each moment of Vacationing with God, is packed with potential. This book contains some powerful stories of the Jewish ancient holy sites. The message of hope you can take away, is that God is very close to us and always will be. As it states in Deuteronomy, Not in the heavens… and not beneath the surface of the earth, not across the ocean, is it… for the matter is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may achieve it.

Rabbi Isser Kluwgant

CEO and Spiritual Mentor

Chabad at Pierce

Woodland Hills, CA

FOREWORD

If you wish to travel to a remarkable place and discover yourself, I strongly suggest you visit a sacred land, where you can find your soul regardless of your religious affiliation, or even if you are an agnostic or atheist.

Amazingly enough, the people who are agnostic or atheist usually, from my experience, are the ones most amazed and bewildered in a beautiful way when these mystical experiences happen to them.

Your journey to this Holy Land will not mirror mine. A host of different variables - your level of religiosity or spirituality; willingness to open yourself to new adventures; personal life experiences - will create your own unique experience.

One of my life missions was to visit the holy places of the world (or what I thought were places that had special or spiritual energy. As an example, many Americans think Sedona, Arizona is such a place). By the time I reached my 70s, I had accomplished this difficult task; I found hot spots in a variety of places, from the North Pole to Ayers Rock in Australia. On the other hand, my trip to the Galapagos was amazing and educational but I did not have any mystical or spiritual experiences.

"…Don’t be dead or asleep or awake.

Don’t be anything.

What you most,

what you travel around wishing to find,

lose yourself as lovers lose themselves,

and you’ll be that."

~ Farid ud-Din Attar, Sufi Poet¹

But of all my adventures/journeys across every continent, one location was unique and truly special. All of my spiritual experiences there arose from the three major religions. So, what is this revered place of where I connected so deeply? It is the Holy Land of Israel, which I hold so precious to my soul.

I especially recommend that older teens/young adults visit Israel; for in the United States today, too many parents are materialistic, in addition to being either secular or not religious at all. Youth today have very little sense of the supernatural; in times past, many families had a member who was a part time mystic, perhaps knowledgeable in tarot cards and otherworldly stories. Israel with its sacred holy spaces can be a tool for spiritual personal development. In fact, many Jewish and Christian organizations have special travel programs to Israel for young adults.

From having traveled the world, I pass onto you a piece of advice: travel as a pilgrim, not a tourist. I define a pilgrim as a person who is a humble seeker and open to new experiences. And when a new experience does happen, they accept it, believe in it and treasure it.

Get out from behind your camera or cell phone. Utilize your senses; smell, touch and feel the place. The world is not a museum. Embrace it all and expect the unexpected. Perhaps you too will be blessed with mystical experiences. However, no one has the ability to create these experiences; they are truly authentic. One cannot make them happen; they either happen or they don’t.

NOTE