Required Expedition Permits & Finance
PRAGMATICS
While the ELS Maps are significant, they point to the Ark of the Covenant being buried in a Muslim country, Egypt. I did not put the Ark there. I (with Dr. Haralick for ELS Map 2) only found the maps. If the maps are valid this means that we must pass the hurdle of getting permission from the Egyptian Government in general; and as of today, from Dr. Zahi Hawass in particular. Dr. Hawass is Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Director of the Giza Pyramids (see his web site at http://www.guardians.net/hawass/).
I met Dr. Hawass in San Francisco very briefly after attending his lecture at the Herbst Theater, courtesy of the California Academy of Sciences on June 6, 2007. To meet the man, I first had to buy a copy of his latest book, and then stand in a line of about 200 people trying to get an autograph. During the lecture itself, Dr. Hawass made it abundantly clear (to a packed house) that nobody gets a permit to do any kind of a dig in Egypt without his personal blessing. While he stated his opposition to bribes, he also mentioned that before permission was granted to one TV crew, a cat scan had to be donated (for examination of mummies). More, he would not allow the British in for excavations unless they first returned the Rosetta Stone to Egypt! Clearly, this is a man to be reckoned with in any expedition plans. During about 40 seconds of face time, I did manage to hand him a copy of ARK CODE, a personal letter of introduction from Dr. Robert Haralick, and a color copy of my Power Point presentation about ELS Maps.
In his lecture Dr. Hawass asserted his belief in Islam (and Moses as a prophet), but only referred to Israel as Palestine. He would not be pinned down on any archeological evidence to support the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt (only stating that 70% of Egypt’s ruins remain buried under sand). And he made it clear that he was not in favor of nonstandard techniques of research. The latter position does not bode well for consideration of ELS Maps. To date, I have not heard a thing from him. However, there are a number of people trying to reach him about my work. Only time will tell whether they succeed or fail – forcing us to wait until he retires (he was born on May 28, 1947 – six days after me).
In trying to get money from Orthodox Jewish circles, the problem is that many Orthodox Jews often choose to not allow a television set in their homes. Thus, even if a valid study of Torah Codes is presented by a respected organization like National Geographic (the preferred producer), many religious Jews won’t watch it. More, many are committed to the prior belief that the Ark remains buried under Temple Mount, and will not consider evidence to the contrary. As for non Orthodox Jews, the Reform movement will not be interested simply because they do not believe that G-d gave the Torah to Moses. Conservative Jews are a mixed bag, but those who see Torah as something that evolves will probably oppose accepting the possibility of an ELS Code based on a fixed Torah text that is immutable.
I have seen the Sphinx light show in Giza twice during my life (1990 and 1999). On both occasions, I noted that the script read that the Sphinx had seen the rise of Christianity and Islam. It is obviously far older than the two religions cited. It also saw the rise of Judaism – but the very word Judaism was apparently taboo. While Egypt might allow a Christian group to research the area in question (although it is in a military-restricted zone), they are not likely to be as friendly to an expedition openly funded by Jews. However, if a Christian group does decided to fund an expedition, I would hope that they do not start the project by attempting to use the Code to back their theology. The Code is not a proven entity until or unless a find like the Ark is made based upon it, or until we learn how to make reliable significant predictions based on it.
The best hope for a definitive study lies with National Geographic. They have no open religious agendas, have a history of doing shows about controversial religious topics (the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, and the Shroud of Turin), and they have the essential connections in Egypt to get the job done right. However, on the 2005 show about the Ark, National Geographic finished up with a dire warning about the consequences of finding it. They feared it might cause, rather than prevent war. This outcome, however, is not likely so long as Israel maintains a secular government that does not seem to care at all about religious issues with the exception of their security implications.
Another possibility is with a science show like Nova. Their credentials are impeccable, and they could overcome the reluctance of Dr. Hawass to examine unconventional approaches to archeology.
The easiest way to get started might be to simply focus on finding Baal Zephon at the obstruction offshore mentioned elsewhere on this web site. A good case can be made for this the obstruction at 31o 16' North 33o3.75'East even without knowing a thing about Torah Codes, and even if there is no Torah Code. It is thus less of a threat to the Egyptian establishment. As I learned during my years of active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy, those with power like to protect their rice bowls. There are a lot of rice bowls to be dealt with here (even those of the arms dealers). If the maps lead to the Ark, the world is going to be a very different place. A primary law of physics is that of inertia. It begins with “A body at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force.” But if we can overcome this resistance, the law continues, “A body in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.” Let us hope that we can find the force (funds and permission) required to move this project forward from mere words and images on this site and in ARK CODE. Barry S. Roffman
October 28, 2007