Ed.] It Was
Described To Me As A Low Shrub, With Leaves Resembling Those Of The
Vine, The Fruit About Three Inches Long And In The Form Of A Cucumber,
Changing From Green To A Yellow Colour When Ripe; It Is Gathered In
June, Oil Is Then Poured Over
[P.324] it, and in this state it is exposed to the sun, after which the
juic[e] forming the balm is expressed from it.
The Jews of Tiberias occupy a quarter on the shore of the lake in the
middle of the town, which has lately been considerably enlarged by the
purchase of several streets: it is separated from the rest of the town
by a high wall, and has only one gate of entrance, which is regularly
shut at sunset, after which no person is allowed to pass. There are one
hundred and sixty, or two hundred families, of which forty or fifty are
of Polish origin, the rest are Jews from Spain, Barbary, and different
parts of Syria. Tiberias is one of the four holy cities of the Talmud;
the other three being Szaffad, Jerusalem, and Hebron. It is esteemed
holy ground, because Jacob is supposed to have resided here, and because
it is situated on the lake Genasereth, from which, according to the most
generally received opinion of the Talmud, the Messiah is to rise. The
greater part of the Jews who reside in these holy places do not engage
in mercantile pursuits; but are a society of religious persons occupied
solely with their sacred duties.
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![Travels In Syria And The Holy Land By John Lewis Burckhardt
- Ed.] It was
described to me as a low shrub, with leaves resembling those of the
vine, the fruit about - Page 409](../images/travel.jpg)
