Safed
Safed is a small town, located in Northern Israel in the mountains of the Upper Galilee, 900 meters above sea level. Safed commands magnificent views east to the Golan Heights, north to Mount Hermon and Lebanon, west to Mt. Meron and south to Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee.
According to tradition, Safed is where Noah's son and grandson, Shem and Ever, established their Yeshiva. According to other sources, the town was established in 70AD. It flourished in the 16th century when many famous Jewish scholars and mystics moved to Safed following the Spanish Expulsion. Many of the Rabbis and Sages were buried in the old cemetery and the graves of the Talmudic sages have been discovered in the mountains and forests around the city.
Safed became the spiritual center of the Jewish world when the Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism) reached its peak due to the influence of Kabbalists such as Rabbi Yitzhak Luria and Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz. The first printing press in the Middle East was set up in Safed, publishing in 1578 the first Hebrew book to be printed in Israel.
In modern times, the liberation of Safed was one of the most dramatic episodes in the 1948 War of Independence.
Safed is one of the four Holy Cities in Israel together with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias. Many of the doors of the buildings in the city are painted blue to remind people of Heaven.
The old part of the town consists of narrow cobblestone alleys revealing artists' galleries and ancient synagogues. Safed's Artists' Quarter is unique and the artists' homes and studios are open to the public. It was originally established by Jewish immigrant artists escaping Europe during and after World War II. Today, the Artists' Quarter is also home to new immigrant artists and craftsmen from Russia, Ethiopia and English speaking countries.
The Caro Synagogue, is named after Rabbi Joseph Caro who was expelled from Spain and settled in Safed in 1536. The synagogue was built in the 6th century and has been rebuilt twice, both times due to earthquakes. The Ark contains a Torah scroll that is at least 400 years old. Beneath the synagogue is a residence where, according to tradition, Rabbi Joseph Caro lived and where the "Maggid" appeared to him and revealed the secrets of the Torah. The Abuhav Synagogue was built in the sixteenth century. It has three Arks and the Torah Scroll was written nearly five hundred years ago. The synagogue has been rebuilt twice, both times due to earthquakes. The dome of the synagogue is decorated with depictions of musical instruments used in the Temple, symbols of the tribes and four crowns. The Ashkenazi Ha'Ari Synagogue was built in the sixteenth century and was built by Sephardic Pilgrims from Greece who were devotees of the Jewish Kabbala. The synagogue was destroyed in the 1837 earthquake and was rebuilt 20 years later.
Whether you go to the ARI MIKVEH from the top of the mountain or the bottom, there are dozen of stairs to descend one way and at least a hundred to ascend the other. When you reach the last step, plunge back 800 years into the mystical ritual-immersion pool fed by pure cold waters from the spring directly underneath. 500,000 visitors from all over the world come annually to immerse in its water. The Mikveh is kept open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Many walking tours can be taken. For example, walk through the Biriya forest to Amuka, a forested crevice and the burial place of the Sage Rabbi Yohanason Ben Uziel. In order to repent for having remained unmarried his entire life, he is reputed to help anyone who prays at his gravesite to find their true mate within a year.
Culture - The annual Safed Klezmer Festival offers fans of this unique style of music, traditional Jewish "soul' music, a variety of entertaining events featuring a combination of solo and group performances.
Safed
Safed is a small town, located in Northern Israel in the mountains of the Upper Galilee, 900 meters above sea level.
Key words: Safed, Kaballah, Jewish Mysticsm, Safed Artists' Quarter, Caro Synagogue, Abuhav Synagogue, Klezmer Festival,