Location: Rosh HaNikra
Subject: The grottoes of Rosh HaNikra
Reference: Gemara Shabbat 26a; Midrash Bereishit Rabba 39:8
Written by: David Magence
Rosh haNikra, on the Mediterranean coast, at the border between Israel and Lebanon, is referred to as the “jewel in the crown of Israel’s northern region.
Rosh haNikra sits atop a white chalk cliff which descends sharply to the sea. It is possible to ride a cable car down and walk through the beautiful grottoes carved by the action of waves.
Upon descending, before entering the grottoes, one can see two tunnels which were cut in 1942 for the rail line between Haifa and Beirut. At the beginning of Israel’s War of Independence, the Palmach blew up the northern tunnel to prevent its being used by the Lebanese army to invade Israel.
Our Sages [Gemara Shabbat 26a] refer to the area as the “Ladder of Tyre,” and speak of the “trappers of the snail, between the Ladder of Tyre and Haifa,” that is, gathering the mollusk from which the techelet dye was made. (See Parashat Shelach)
According to the Sages’ legend [Midrash Breishit Rabba 39:8], Avraham Avinu entered the Land of Israel via the Ladder of Tyre.
