Palestine, land of enchantment and magic. There's no way not to love this place, even if we only know it from books. Because it was there that the greatest story of all time happened, starring Jesus of Nazareth. A surprising story, as great and extraordinary as the presence of Jesus in our lives is extraordinary and great.

He arrives softly and fills our hearts. And particularly we, spiritists, understand it in its real magnitude, thanks to the Spiritist Codification, brought by Allan Kardec.

If this fascination with Palestine is surprising for us, it is not difficult to imagine why the Israelites had so much love for their land, a love that had and still has meaning, as Palestine was a beautiful country: with its plains; deep valleys, the central and eastern plateaus, high mountains, where in them his people saw the greatness of God; deserts, seas, lakes, rivers and varied climate.

Rivers and lakes exerted true charm and magic, and those who admired them were fascinated by the placidity of their waters. The Jordan River originates from the confluence of four rivers. The Jordan River is the most important in the ancient world. It is linked to religious manifestations, from the days of Abraham to the days of Jesus and was the scene of the ministry of John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus. And also, Lake Tiberias, or Sea of Galilee, whose banks and beaches were the location of important events in the life of Jesus.

The climate was varied. Its geographical position, its rugged topography, its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea and the proximity of the desert contributed to the beautiful dawns, strong frosts, and snow common on the mountains.

There were lilies in abundance. “And with clothes, why are you worried? Look at the lilies of the field – said Jesus –, how they grow, and do not work or spin. And yet I assure you that not even Solomon, in all his glory, was clothed like one of these. Now, if God so clothes the grass of the field, which exists today and tomorrow will be cut down and thrown into the fire, will he not do much more for you, men of weak faith?” (Matthew, 6: 28 to 30).

At that time, the book Proverbs (3:13 and 14) was studied:

The joys of the wise!

Happy is the man who has found wisdom,

the man who attained understanding!

Winning it is worth more than silver,

and its profit is more than gold.

Today, we remember the communication of the Spirit of Truth, in Paris, 1860, recorded in The Gospel According to Spiritism, chapter 6, item 5: “Spiritist, love one another, this is the first commandment; Instruct yourselves, here is the second. All truths are found in Christianity; the errors that have taken root in it are of human origin; and behold, from beyond the grave, which you believed empty, voices cry out to you: Brothers! Nothing perishes. Jesus Christ is the winner of evil; be the conquerors of wickedness!”

Abraham, the Hebrew patriarch – The story of Abraham is told in the book Genesis, the first work of the Old Testament, starting in chapter 12.

Abraham, considered the first great patriarch of the Hebrew people, from whose descendants the Messiah would emerge, was a native of the city of Ur, in Chaldea, located in the Mesopotamian valley, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in the Persian Gulf, modern-day Iraq.

Around the 20th century BC, he leaves Ur and heads to Haran, to the north, accompanied by his father. He was married to his cousin Sara. After the death of his father, Abraham leaves his father's home and continues in search of the Promised Land. He went to Shechem, in the Jordan River valley, where there was good land for cultivation. There he settled and lived most of his life. After being tested by God, at whose command he had to sacrifice his own son, Isaac, Abraham built an altar, formed his alliance with spiritual mentors and began the monotheistic religion.

There was a great drought in that region when Abraham moved to Egypt with his family and flock. On his return to the Promised Land, via the Negev, he and his family were not well received by the Canaanites, mainly due to disagreements with his nephew Lot, who also had disagreements with the shepherds of Abraham's flock. Therefore, uncle and nephew separated, and, on his advice, Lot settled with his tribe in the plain of the Jordan, south of the Dead Sea.

Abraham had several children. Of them, the most cited are Ishmael, son of Hagar, his wife's slave, and Isaac, son of his wife Sarah. Isaac married at the age of 40 Rebekah, Laban's sister, with whom he had two sons, the twin brothers Esau and Jacob. Esau, being born first, had the right to the progeny, but exchanged it with Jacob for a dish of lentils.

By order of Isaac, Jacob was sent to the house of Laban, in Haran, where he met his cousin Rachel and fell in love with her. Laban demanded that, in order to receive her in marriage, Jacob work for him for seven years. After the deadline, cunningly, in place of Raquel, his father gave him Lia, his eldest daughter. After a wedding week, Laban also handed over Rachel, with the requirement that, to marry her, Jacob would have to work another seven years.

During the trip to Haran, Jacob dreamed of a ladder that rose from the Earth and God's angels went up and down it. This ladder symbolizes the process of evolution of Spirits on Earth. On the way back from Canaan, Jacob dreamed that he fought with an angel until dawn. As he was not defeated, the angel gave him the name Israel and told him that this should be his name from now on, since from his descendants, who would be twelve, the twelve tribes of Israel would originate. As we know, in the division, each of the lands was named after one of Jacob's sons. This is the origin of the people of Israel.

According to Saint Jerome, scholar, and compiler of the first Bible in Latin, Jacob's dream is, in fact, a message of man's spiritual and persevering combat with his inferiority – the Intimate Reform, as we spiritists know it.

The saga of Jacob and his love for Raquel are described in a well-known sonnet by the poet Luís de Camões:

For seven years, the shepherd Jacob slaved

for the father of beautiful Rachel, working not for the man,

but only for her, knowing ever since he began

that she alone was the only reward he craved.

His days, dreaming of the wedding that lay ahead,

passed by, content to see her from time to time,

until her father plotted his duplicitous crime,

by placing Leah in Jacob's marriage bed.

Learning the cruel deception, Jacob, in tears,

had lost the one he loved, as if, somehow,

he hadn't truly earned the proper wife.

But he starts all over again, for seven more years,

saying, "If life wasn't so short, beginning right now,

I'd serve even longer for Rachel, the love of my life."

Jerusalem - Jerusalem, one of the most famous cities in the world, occupies a prominent place in biblical history. During its long history, the city has known several names: Urusali, Salem, Jebus, Zion, Jerusalem, whose name means “sacred peace”; City of David, City of Judah, Aélia Capitolina, name given by Emperor Hadrian. Jerusalem is located on a high plateau near the Jordan River valley, in the so-called mountains of Judah, 21 kilometers west of the Dead Sea and 51 kilometers east of the Mediterranean Sea.

Because it had a very large economic movement, Rome had its seat of government there, with its proxies. It was then divided into three neighborhoods: High City – Mount Sion, where the rich lived; Lower City - along the Cedron valley, where the poor gathered; Temple neighborhood – with many outbuildings.

The city is a religious center and place of pilgrimage for Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The places considered holy are under the jurisdiction of these three religions.

Herod, who when Jesus was born had already reigned for 29 years, beautified Jerusalem (destroyed 17 times and rebuilt 18 times), which became one of the most beautiful cities in the Middle East, equipped with palaces, theaters and, above all, the Great Temple, designed by David and built by Solomon, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC and rebuilt after the liberation of the Jews by Cyrus the Great, king of the Persians. It should be said that this is the second Temple. The first was built by Solomon and contained several overlapping inner courtyards and gates.

This is the chronology of the history of Jerusalem, through the ages:

In the year 1,000 BC, King David founded Jerusalem, the capital of the Israelite Kingdom.

In 586 BC, the Babylonian army, led by King Nebuchadnezzar, conquers the city, exiles the Jewish rebels, and burns the Holy Temple.

539 BC, Cyrus of Persia defeats the Babylonians and takes the city, allowing the Jews to return from exile. Jerusalem is rebuilt. The Second Temple rises.

322 BC, Alexander the Great includes Jerusalem on his route of conquests. The process of Hellenization of the city begins.

164 BC, Judas Maccabeus leads rebellion against the cult of Zeus.

64 BC, General Pompey takes the city, beginning more than two centuries of Roman hegemony.

6 AD, Pontius Pilate confronts and defeats the rebellious Jews, and the city is again destroyed. The diaspora begins with the exile of the rebels.

135 – Emperor Hadrian faces a new revolt, and the Jews are expelled from Jerusalem.

313 – Constantine adopts and legalizes, through the Edict of Milan, Christianity in the Roman Empire.

From 476 to 634 – Palestine is a province of the Eastern Roman Empire.

From 634 to 750 – It is ruled by Muslim caliphs.

From 750 to 960 - Becomes part of the Syrian government, under Arab rule.

From 960 to 1095 – Palestine is dominated by the Egyptians.

From 1095 to 1187 – The Crusades take place to liberate the Holy Land.

From 1187 to 1250 – Palestine became part of the Ottoman Empire, under the leadership of Saladin, in 1187.

From 1250 to 1517 – Palestine is governed by Egyptian military forces.

From 1517 to 1914 – The Turks invade Jerusalem and dominate it for 400 years, during which Palestine is part of the Ottoman Empire.

From 1914 to 1948 – After the invasion of Palestine by the allies, England supports the creation, in Palestine, of a home for the Jewish people, becoming known as the Balfour Declaration, in 1917. In 1922, England takes over the Mandate for Palestine until May 15, 1948, by delegation from the United Nations League. On November 29, 1947, the United Nations Assembly, under the presidency of the Brazilian Osvaldo Aranha, voted on the resolution that recommended the establishment, in Palestine, of a Jewish State and an Arab State.

1948 – On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was proclaimed, the first Jewish autonomous government in a long time. The following day, the State of Israel was invaded by Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. The city is divided: the western part belongs to the State of Israel and the eastern part to Jordan.

1967 – On June 5, 1967, Israel was invaded again by four Arab countries simultaneously. The Six-Day War guarantees Israel's total hegemony over Jerusalem. The walls that divide the city are torn down.

1980 – Proclaimed the capital of Israel by the Knesset. Israel considers the city of Jerusalem to be its capital, housing the seat of government. There is, however, no international consensus on this issue. The city of Tel Aviv is also considered the capital and is home to several international embassies.

It is remarkable, finally, to recognize that the inhabitants of the region, of biblical lands, have always had their peculiar way of life, maintaining their customs and religious particularities, despite all the vicissitudes they faced.