Challah

Last night I was about to sit down to eat dinner when I get a call from my Israeli dorm room counselor (my friend, at this point) named Gali. Thinking it had to do with the police report we had spent 2 hours translating, I picked up my phone in a panic. When I heard what she had asked, I was totally confused.... "Do you want to come with me in an hour to make Challah?"

WHAT?

I have made matzah before for Pesach. And since this wasn't even for Shabbat, I was beyond confused. But because I love and trust her, and am always up for trying new things in the Holy Land, I responded "YES" without a minute to spare.

We met outside the dorms and walked to our destination. It is called "Yehuda Bayit," exact translation is Jewish House. But I'd explain it more as a woman's home that she opens up to whoever wants to come in... Jewish, Orthodox, Conservative, REFORMED. Anyone is welcome for any of her events, and I couldn't be more appreciative of that.

Last night went like this: We got in, sat around a student who beautifully sang three songs (one of which is called Lecha Dodi and I knew from Shabbat) and then got to work. We spent an hour making Challah bread and then three more hours singing more songs in a circle on the floor until all the Challah was finished baking. By 11:15 we were ready to head home, breakfast for the next week in our hands.

The meaning of this is symbolism. In ancient days Jewish women used to bake Challah and set aside some for the Priests who were busy at work and had no time to make it themselves. This is a ritual we brought into the event yesterday: setting aside a piece as what I would assume to be a symbol for all the hard work preformed by the Priest. When I asked Gali why we do it now, she responded with "because it's the month of Elul and because it's the month before the High Holidays, all the spiritual things to better a person is done now."

She's right.

Even though I'd rather not have to limit when we do these tasks, I find more and more of them coming out around this time. I can go off on a tangent about how I feel about this, but instead I want to leave you with one note: I finally found my comfort zone.
Back home I am apart of a world I never knew existed until I turned fourteen. The reformed religious world that I have grown to be apart of and love has shaped me into who I am, and, even in Israel, I haven't found what I was looking for until last night. Though I appreciate the conservative and orthodox movements here, and love to learn about them and be apart of them, I need to feel at home where I feel comfortable. And last night taught me that it is in fact possible to find what I am looking for, I just need to look hard enough.

I thank Gali and my new friends for helping me to center myself in a way that I can't describe, and in a way I know and miss.

Shabbat

In the four weeks that I have been here, I am surprised to have not touched upon Shabbat in the Holy Land. In talking with friends and family back home, I'm reminded that although on Sundays certain stores and offices are closed down, it is not the average thing for trains and buses to stop working, for restaurants and stores to shutdown, for facilities to close, and for people to stay in their rooms. On Shabbat in Israel, however, it is.

At first it was an adjustment...having to make sure that I would have food and things to do and people to see. And having to make sure of all of this, obviously, before Friday afternoon. Even as a planner it is hard for me to make sure on Friday morning that Saturday will bring what I need. And yet, I quickly adjusted to this and couldn't ask for anything less than what Shabbat in Israel brings.

With all of that said, however, it's hard for me to understand a certain way of life here: during the week, and even during Shabbat. God set aside Saturday as the day of rest for the chosen people. I find myself contemplating if he really did this because HE needed the rest after the 6 days of hard work, or because WE need the rest after the 6 days of our own hard work. And because I am at a new phase in my life where I am going to be an optimist whether or not I truly am, I conclude that I am leading towards the latter. We need the day of rest and so God provides us with just that.

But then why do people care more about regulations than they do about the actual resting?

I understand that there is a guideline for how to observe. Of course there should be a certain way of doing this task, it is a holy one after all. But my reservations appear when people start to care about the way other people want to preform the ask for themselves. I am all about everyone having their own way of doing things, but I am not all about the criticizing, rolling of the eyes, and judgement when someone rests differently than another. In my opinion, it defeats the purpose of why we are resting at all.

It is 6pm here, and I am happy to say that I am a very well-rested human being. Shabbat allows me to hit the pause button in my life, rest, and then hit play again. It allows me to rejuvenate and gear up for the week to come. And it allows me to connect back with nature, with myself, and with God. And so what if I am not doing it the way other people command...I am living my Shabbat the way I am supposed to live it, realizing that my friends are living it the way they are supposed to live it. And maybe next week I will welcome Shabbat differently, or maybe I won't. As long as I feel fulfilled, and all four weeks have given me that feeling, I am happy.

So yes, I am happy to be living in a country right now that understands that Shabbat is a day of rest. And I am happy to connect to that country the way I have.

Shabbat Shalom to all, and good luck at finding your way of resting. I believe everyone should have one.

L'chaim, cheers and peace!

(thanks to Mario for providing the pictures....)

Tribute: David Ben Gurion

Yesterday was a very cool day. First a brief description:

We woke up and met at about 8 AM and drove 40 mins to Sede Boker. First we hiked to a spring where we were told a story, and then we hiked up the spring and cliff where we were met by our bus. We travelled again to a crater where we hiked a little more, and then off to Sede Boker to see Ben-Gurion's settlement.

David Ben Gurion was more than the first Prime Minister of Israel. He was the founder of a Jewish Youth Group in Poland, leader of that Youth Group in Palestine, and founder of the Jewish state of Israel. After years of serving as Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion made it his mission to establish the Negev (desert in which I currently live in), and so he moved down south to a Kibbutz to live and work. This kibbutz was at first not very open to this idea...as we discussed yesterday, what close-knit community would want a prime minister? But his persistence prevailed and he eventually was welcomed down south. And his efforts never fell short.
It was his mission to make the Negev a successful contributor to Israeli society. His goal was to have 5 million people living here, and although the goal is not yet met, there is currently around 500,000 people living in the desert. Not too shabby.

With Ben-Gurion University being one of the very successful schools in Israel, Be'er Sheva being one of Israel's main cities, and Israeli culture and spirit coming alive down South, I have no doubt that the Negev will prevail! Ben Gurions work will not go unnoticed, and his dreams will not fail.

"I hear Jerusalem bells ringing...."

My apologies that this is so late, but I am finally writing a post about our trip to Jerusalem.

Last Thursday my friends and I were talking about our trip to Tel Aviv that night. With nowhere to stay and no real knowledge of any hostiles there, a friend suggested that we change our plans and go stay at a cheap hostile in Jerusalem instead. Within an hour we all had our bags packed for the night and we were on our way to the bus stop.

Fast forward three hours, and we were in the Old City. After checking into our hostile we went up to the roof, where some of us were going to spend the night, and got situated. Picture it: directly in front of us was the top of the Dome of the Rock and many Muslim Mosques. To the right of us, and I mean literally the building next door, was the Tower of David.

Since it was still nice out we explored the Old City a bit and then walked out into the New City of Jerusalem. Equally magnificent, Ben Yehuda is made up of many restaurants, kiosks, and shops. Oh and don't forget music! It was wonderful to walk around, grab some excellent home-made fellafel, and explore the area.

At around 9ish we were back on the roof of our hostile. Now nighttime, the Dome of the Rock was lit up gold, the Mosques were lit up green, and the Tower of David had a light show on the side that was facing us. It was the most magnificent thing I have ever seen.

Trust me, I fell in love with Israel the day I got here...maybe even before. But that night solidified any feelings I thought I felt or actually felt. I will forever remember the night I truly found the place I feel most connected to.

In the morning we woke up at sunrise (yes, after only three hours of sleep at most) and we went to the Kotel at sunrise. Seeing the Western Wall just as the sun was coming up over it, watching prayers take place, and praying yourself, is something I recommend to anyone who will have this chance. It was once again a spectacular idea.

After that we grabbed our stuff, ate at a local bagel stand in the Old City, and then split up: some of us went to the market place, and the others, myself included, went over to the ramparts and walked up above the Old City. With the Old City to our left and the New City to our right, it was culturally overwhelming. And yet, another thing I would add to you "to-do" list because it is very historical, cultural, and spiritual.

On our way home, and ever since, I thought about how amazing it is to feel at home in a city I have never been to. And this feeling came over me so suddenly. In fact, it was practically as I got off the bus on Thursday.

Within the next five months I plan to go there as much as I can because I can assure you, Jerusalem is a magical city. And I LOVE it!

First Shabbat in the Holy Land

This weekend, with it being our first Shabbat and all, we travelled to Ein Geti, which is about an hour and fifteen minutes northeast of where my campus is. About ten minutes from Massada and located on the shore of the Dead Sea, the hostile we stayed at overnight was perfect. The best part of it all for me though was bringing in Shabbat.
Since I was raised in a reformed synagogue I am not exactly familiar with the orthodox movement. I have dovenned a couple of times with my Bubby at a conservative synagogue, but even that is a new experience for me each time. I am used to the singing, the sermons, the room for change each service. And yet, as I sat next to Gali behind the screen that separated me from my male counterparts, I couldn't help but think about how interesting it is that the orthodox movement interprets tradition differently from the modern orthodox movement, the reformed movement, the conservative movement, the kabballah movement, the reconstructionist movement, and so on...
An epiphany: I recognized the prayers though they weren't sung. I knew to stand though no one told me to. I knew to pray silently or pray out loud even though I was not directed to do so.
Without a minyan (ten male Jews needed in order to pray together), it was up to us to welcome in Shabbat individually. And I knew how to do it without any instruction whatsoever.
Which is why I am in love with the new Reform Sidur (prayerbook). Without any "please rise" phrases or "read together" phrases, this particular Sidur leaves room for every service to be different than the one from the previous Shabbat.
Not that I am going to find the Mishkan T'Fillah in Israel. But it just prooves that maybe faith is truly what you interpret it to be and how you carry it out. No one intructed Gali to sit with me for an hour and a half Saturday morning and not only read from the Torah but translate it for me so I can understand either. I mean here she is, an orthodox woman trying to bring in Shabbat, and she is sitting with me to help me bring it in too. How cool!
I couldn't be happier to launch myself into my future filled with culture, tolerance, responsibility, and spirituality. After my first week in Israel I am going to keep my expectation high--apparently these Israelis can meet them.