There are two seas in Palestine

There are two seas in Palestine

We are heading home today. Here is a meditation on the seas of the Jordan River that someone shared with us on our Pilgrimage. 

There are two seas in Palestine. One is fresh, and fish are in it. Splashes of green adorn its banks. Trees spread their branches over it and stretch out their thirsty roots to sip of its healing waters… The Sea of Galilee receives but does not keep the Jordan. For every drop that flows into it another drop flows out. The giving and receiving go on in equal measure. The other sea is shrewder, hoarding its income jealously. It will not be tempted into any generous impulse. Every drop it gets, it keeps. The Sea of Galilee gives and lives. The other sea gives nothing. It is named The Dead. There are two kinds of people in the world. There are two seas in Palestine.

• “There are Two Seas”, McCall’s magazine (1928); reprinted in the Reader’s Digest (1946)

(Note: This was written before the creation of the State of Israel. The whole region was called Palestine until 1948)