At a Desert Archive, a Nation Hears From Its Founder

By ANDREA USEEM

Sde-Boker, Israel

As the clear, violet sky fades to black, three long rows of soldiers stand silently at attention. Behind them glow the chalky-white walls of the Valley of Tzin, where Moses led his wandering tribe. Above them snaps the blue-on-white Israeli flag in the desert breeze. Before them stands the gravesite of David...