Hiking in the holy land: Appreciating the biblical beauty of the vulture

Old habits die hard. It’s been some time since I equated the Hebrew term nesher with the English “eagle.” I’ve learned that vulture is a more accurate translation. But I still find myself translating the biblical phrase “al kanfei nesharim” into “on the wings of eagles.”

Back as a child in New Orleans, I imagined that one day, the Jews would soar back to Israel on kanfei nesharim, the wings of eagles. There was no question in my mind that the eagle was the king of birds, the most majestic feathered creature on the planet. 

Returning to our Holy Land atop the magnificent bird’s wings seemed fitting. After all, it was the eagle that was featured on the president’s flag, military insignia, and one-dollar bills in my country of birth. According to John F.

Kennedy, the eagle was chosen by the founding fathers for a reason: “The fierce beauty and proud independence of this great bird aptly symbolizes the strength and freedom of America.”

An eagle for America, a vulture for Israel

The eagle has long been synonymous with grace and majesty for Westerners. So, it should come as no surprise that the biblical word nesher (which seems to refer to a large, stately bird) was thought to be an eagle.

But eagles are rather hard to come by in the Land of Israel, which after all, was the backdrop for all things biblical.

Years of hiking through Israel’s outdoor spaces taught me that. Vultures, on the other hand, (and more specifically, griffon vultures) are quite commonly found in parks and nature trails all over the country.

Near Haifa, the Carmel Mountain Nature Reserve is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Israel. It is especially treasured by hikers. There, shady, green mountains sit against the aqua-blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in jaw-dropping views, perfect to gaze at with a thermos of coffee in hand mid-hike. My favorite thing about the Carmel is the varied stone formations, which include craggy cliffs and rocky outcrops. Spending time on any Carmel Mountains trail means climbing over great boulders and giant tree roots, underneath a canopy of thick shade. The scenery is simply spectacular.

On the edge of the Carmel Forest, right near a trail called “Little Switzerland,” is Carmel Hai-Bar (wildlife reserve). This refuge for Israel’s animals was created in 1970 to bring Persian fallow deer back to the country; before that time, the species had been almost completely hunted out of its natural habitat. At Hai-Bar, fallow deer graze freely with other animals. They share the space with their feathered friends, the griffon vultures.

The Griffon Vulture Lookout is one of the most captivating parts of Hai-Bar. At the lookout, spectators can watch vultures soar out over a deep valley, then return to roost on their perches in the reserve. The sight of these giant birds coming to rest right overhead is impressive.

FURTHER SOUTH in the Ramon Crater, griffon vultures live in a landscape just about as different from the Carmel Mountains as one could imagine. The terrain around the Vulture Lookout at the crater looks more like a martian landscape than a lush nature reserve.

Multicolored rocks form a deep chasm in the place where our nesher, the beautiful griffon vulture, is known to nest. One might think that birds would prefer lush greenery, for the food and shelter that such a landscape offers. But these vultures don’t need trees or berries to survive; they make their shelters in rocky outcrops, and their diet consists of small mammals and other carrion. Ramon Crater has its share of animal life, including ibex, small rodents, and reptiles; there’s a wide and varied buffet for griffon vultures to choose from.

I’ll always remember how vultures were portrayed in old cartoons and movies growing up. These menacing birds always seemed to appear just when a character was stuck in the desert with no water, facing certain death. At least in Western pop culture, vultures were portrayed as evil creatures who turned the misfortune of others into their daily sustenance.

Although we may turn our nose up at such a means of survival, the Bible is clear about the eating habits of the nesher.

As it says in the Job, “It [the nesher] dwells and abides on the rock, upon the crag of the rock and the strong place.

From there it seeks the prey, and its eyes behold from far away. Its young ones gulp blood; and where there are carcasses, there it is.”

Or in Proverbs, “The eye that mocks his father and scorns his mother will be picked out by ravens of the valley, and the young nesher shall eat it.”

These verses are further proof that “nesher” does not mean eagle. As opposed to vultures, eagles never eat carrion, preferring to hunt their prey live. For this and many other reasons, modern-day scholars and zoologists have identified the nesher as Israel’s local resident griffon vulture. 

It may come as no surprise that in Middle Eastern societies past, the vulture was an esteemed bird. There was the vulture-deity of ancient Arabia (Nasr), and the griffon vulture was a symbol of royalty in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Nekhbet, the goddess of the early Nile, was almost always depicted as a griffon vulture.

Only by spending time in Israel can one truly appreciate biblical animals and their metaphorical importance. As opposed to the bald eagle so venerated by citizens of the United States, our local griffon vulture was the bird that symbolized strength, beauty, power, and protection in the Hebrew Bible.