Temples at the sacred source

I am in northeastern Israel, just one mile from the Lebanese border, three from the Syrian, on the slopes of Mount Hermon, the 9,286-foot, snowcapped peak that dominates the Golan Heights.

Near the base of Hermon is a ledge of soft limestone from which flows the Dan, named for the seventh tribe of ancient Israel. It is the largest tributary of the Jordan, and the beginning of a journey that has shaped the whole of the world.

Temples at the sacred source The Jordan River is cited nearly 200 times in the Bible. In Genesis, Lot looked up "and saw the whole plain of the Jordan was well-watered, like the garden of the Lord. Most rivers serve as thoroughfares for vessels, bringing people together. But the Jordan has always been a border, something to cross to get to a better land, a healthier time, a home.