Not Clock Watching

I decided to try something new this year for Rosh Hashana-no watch, no clocks, no counting down the hours. I was a crazed woman searching for a meaningful spiritual experience, and I found it in a few places, and I found that ignoring the boundaries of time enhanced my journey.

On Friday night, we davened as a group in the negative third level of Beit Nativ. This was probably the most beautiful service I have ever attended. Yossi led the service and everyone was so participatory and I just kept smiling (to the point where my face was completely distorted and unrecognizable) because there was so much joy and feeling in our community. I really understand the importance of community in relation to worship because I no longer have the comfort of my home shul/congregation/mother right beside me while I pray. Our group has such a strong family feeling though and I felt that every person was an integral part of our kehila. On another note, I had never viewed Yossi as a spiritual leader before, because he is the one who tells us not to drink ourselves silly or get pregnant and to be on time to morning shacharit, but he really was a powerful spiritual force and he has a beautiful voice.

We had a nice(r) dinner at home on Friday night, complete with fish heads on the table. I did not have any part in the fish head extravaganza, but it pleased the boys greatly. After dinner, a large group of us decided to walk to the windmill at Yemin Moshe overlooking the Old City walls. We sang ningunim for hours (I think, as I said, I wasn't clock watching) and it was fabulous. I sat near Judah and his voice just touches my soul-the Celine Dion lover in me really relates to the wailing quality in prayer. Not that Judah wails, but there is a just a twinge of wailing to God and it is really pure and beautiful and he is really creative with harmonies and I like it.

When I got back on Friday night, I sat in the courtyard with a group of boys but they were being gross so I went up to my room but I was feeling antsy so I went on a midnight stroll with Miri. We really got to talk and get to know each other and it was a great little tiyul. After the mini adventure, I was ready to hit the sack and woke up bright and early on Saturday for services!

I did not like services on Saturday. We were at a Conservative shul and it just felt weird and the place looked like a swimming pool that had been emptied of its water. The kiddush was well earned though, and I enjoyed that part greatly. It was just long (we got there before it started...around 8 am) and the congregation was small and I didn't like the voices of the leaders. I also took lil mini naps during the torah service and woke up at the end of each alliyah. I feel bad saying all of this but it is the reality of the situation and I won't name names (of the shul).

After the service, we were hosted for lunch by a kind family nearby in Talpiyot (speaking of Talpiyot-the walk there was actually a camelbak/closed toe shoe/hat required kind of hike, all of which I did not have) and they were very welcoming and the food was good. They had additional guests, most of whom I liked very much, and they all had made alliyah from America at some point so they spoke perfect English. I went with Miri and Tyler and I was glad they were there because although the family was very nice and hospitable, they were also a little strange, and the man was a convert from the Mormon faith and they had adopted the wife's autistic grandchild as their own child and he was seven and so adorable and they were so good and patient and loving with him. I was glad to have met these people because they had been through a lot in life but they are living their dream in Israel and they have such a positive outlook on everything.

Then it was back to shul for Mincha, which of course included Torah and anything else God could have thought of to make praying last longer. Then we hiked for another forty years through the desert to get back home just in time for Maariv! Another service! This one took place at the Conservative shul at the Fuchsberg Center, which is a nice .5 second walk from my building. Then we had another dinner which was edible and then we were service free for a few hours!

I took an evening adventure walk with Seffi and Josh and we covered a lot a lot of ground. We found a playground that overlooked the Knesset building and we sat there and talked about our Rosh Hashana resolutions and just about everything. We got ktzat lost but not that lost and Madrich Seffi's excellent Hebrew skillz got us going in the right direction. We got home eventually and the night was stamped a major success. Then there were massages to be massaged and snuggles to be snuggled and hugs to be hugged and then I went to sleep.

I woke up early this morning with the intention of having a good day with God. I went to Kedem with sizable group of Nativers today and the services were really nice. There was a lot of ruach and singing and cool melodies. During the Yi Ni Ni's, the energy was so powerful that Adina actually turned to me and asked me to write about it in my blog. She also carried a very baby sized torah and it was very cute. A lot of Nativers got to participate in the service and it made me feel like we were an important and contributing members of the congregation. The culture here is interesting-shul is not a fashion show like it is at home, no purchased seats, no sermon, no appeal except for a quick shout out at the end, and the synagogue we went to today was just a mid size room with plastic lawn chairs set up in rows that we had to bring upstairs after the service was through. I took a break (first by myself for a little introspection and then with LeeAnn because I adore her) during the repetition of the Amidah to sit outside and listen to someone practicing classical piano. Normally I wouldn't be a fan of instruments on chaggim but it was good today because I couldn't do anything about the fact that someone was playing some really good piano with open windows right next to the shul.

It was raining on the walk home and we celebrated that fact while privately whining about the wet and slippery conditions. Lunch happened and then I napped (even though it is against halacha to nap or waste time on Rosh Hashana!) and then I showered (which really is an event here, because we get dirty) and then we did Tashlich in the park and then we had Mincha and dinner and Maariv.

The night concluded with another adventure in the form of walking aimlessly around Jerusalem. Meir and I ended up in the park where we had a barbeque three weeks back and we saw a lot of dogs and cats and runners. On the walk home, we found a really kick ass playground that involved a spinny tea cup thingy and a log running contraption and swings and a rolly slide.

Now it is late and time for bed. Lihitraot!!

The Best Surprise

Yesterday was a fun day to be alive. We started off with early services, a half decent breakfast, and a sleepy ride to Hebrew U. Ulpan class was fun because we got to take a break from learning to sit in an auditorium with all the other summer Ulpan classes (real people, not just Nativers!) to sing songs for Rosh Hashana! It was a good way to split up the day, and everything went by quickly. After the singing, we went to a new classroom just to finish up the lesson and the windows were open and we could see all of East Jerusalem and hear the Muslim call to prayer from the minarets. It was a very interesting, Jerusalem-unique experience.

Jerusalem class was unusually engaging yesterday, as we focused on Jesus Christ and the advent of Christianity. We took a field trip to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which was just as unexpected inside as it is spelling-wise. We started off with a walk through a church held by the Ethiopian Christians and then we went into the place where Queen Helena of Constantinople declared the crucifixion of Christ to have taken place. It was very ornate and overwhelming and it felt very ancient. I went into a 2,000 year old tomb and I didn't like it at all and wanted to leave the moment I stepped inside the small cave/tunnel/tomb. On a more positive note, the mosaics there were just incredibly beautiful and detailed, and the architecture is really amazing, especially when one considers its age. I did feel out of place in the Church, but not unwelcome.

After all of this, we walked home from the Old City through the Mamilla Mall and I purchased wine at the supermarket for my Rosh Hashana host family! We are going to be given a meal by a host family and were instructed to bring a gift, and I just put the wine on the conveyer belt right next to my raisins and Cini-minis and I didn't even get carded! It was a very exciting experience. I think that I accidentally purchased a cheap wine, but hopefully they will appreciate the effort!

The day got better when Chen, my staff from last summer's visit to Israel, called to tell me she was outside the gates of Beit Nativ!! I ran downstairs to greet her and ran across the street despite lack of a crosswalk or break in traffic and threw myself into her arms. There is something about an Israeli greeting a friend that is unmatched by every other nationality I have ever encountered. It was the best hug I have quite possibly ever received in my life. I have noticed this phenomenon when friends greet each other in shul on Shabbat, but I had never experienced the sweet bliss of this salutation myself. It was great.

Seeing Chen was really the best surprise I could have ever dreamed of. She took me to a nearby cafe and we ate Shashuka outside (on her recommendation!) and it was the most delicious night. We talked about everything that had happened to us since last summer (she staffed Nativ 28 this past year) and it felt as though no time had passed. Chen just IS Israel to me, and I love her so dearly, and I am so happy whenever I am with her!

Then it was time for the proverbial "going out." We dressed to the hilt, spritzed and sparkled, made up our faces and perfected our hair. I wore my black stilettos and a mini skirt and a beautiful shirt that Samantha gave me and it was a really good decision because I felt like approximately 4,000,000 NIS. There was a group of Nativers that were playing pong in the park across the street, so we all started there with a big party in the park, which involved a lot of Lil Wayne and dancing and jubilation. At one point, a cop started lurking near by and we decided it would be best if we moved on from the spot, even though we probably weren't doing anything illegal (though I'm not sure and neither was anyone else so it was a good idea to veer on the side of caution), so we headed to Ben Yehuda. I ended up just hanging out outside with a bunch of friends for a few hours and it was great because I don't really like the bar scene here. Don't quote me on that in two months.

Back at home, I finally shooed the boys out of my room and I was left with Shara and Razie and we fell asleep. I was half awakened about an hour later by Ariella crawling into my top bunk with me and pleasantly surprised to find her still tucked under my arm at 7:30 in the morning. As a note for future snugglers-I am not usually willing to take on the role of big spoon. Ariella has a special power over me and it just makes sense that she is the baby spoon. But usually that is my job.

That takes us to this morning-services and three study sessions. I learned so much about Rosh Hashana! And now I am going to prepare physically for the holiday by washing and scrubbing and lotioning and making sure I am sparkling clean to bring in the new year!

I wish you a happy, healthy, sweet new year!!