Nothing too exciting has been going on, but here’s a recap of what I’ve been up to/thinking about lately.
Last weekend, I went up north to Tzfat for Shabbat. It was really nice up there, although to be honest, I don’t feel that same “mysticality” everyone else seems to. Maybe I’m just not so tapped into these things. I had a conversation with my friend about whether people feel that way there because there is actually something about the place itself, or just because everyone else tells them there is. We concluded it’s a mixture of the two, plus some mountains and high altitudes thrown in. Nevertheless, the air was crisp, the atmosphere joyous, and the views spectacular. I stayed with a family from Denver who have been living here for several years. They have two kids: a 14.5 year old boy and a 12 year old girl. They reminded me so much of me and my brother. It was cute watching them bicker over stupid things.... I kind of miss those days. Actually, maybe not so much. I like being friends with David now. It’s much nicer. Hi, David! I miss you! :)
Anyway, we walked around a lot, slept a lot, ate a lot. A typical Shabbat, with atypical mountainous vistas around every corner. I’ve only ever been to Tzfat with groups, so to be there for a few days with a couple of friends was a totally different experience. I actually got to know the city, rather than just those touristy stops everyone goes to. Saturday night was great – we bought some vodka at a gas station (gotta love Israel!) along with a couple of plastic cups and peach-flavored iced tea, and brought it with us to an outdoor pizza shop, where we proceeded to get a bit drunk while telling each other stories about our years as the unpopular kids (by “we” I mean my friends Yomi and Erika, and myself). They actually got me on video describing my various Purim costumes over the years, and it’s pretty funny – my voice is about 2 octaves higher than usual, and since I haven’t really drank anything in a while, that was actually achieved after only one drink. By the end of the night I think I only had like 2 and a half, and I was falling asleep. After the pizza shop, we walked over to a bon fire some people were having in one of the areas where there are ruins and arches and caves (makes the drunken late-night fun all the more exciting when you’re surrounded by ancient stuff, I think). We hung out with some people we met there, and I had a few really interesting conversations, which happens a lot in this country. I also haven’t been spending too much time around guys, since my seminary is all women and I also just don’t have so much interest at the moment in the opposite sex, (at least not in general terms,) but every now and then its nice to just be chilled out and hang out with girls and guys together, sitting around a bonfire while someone plays guitar and everyone’s feeling calm after a day of resting.
The next day was the apocalypse. At least, it felt that way. It poured, torrentially. I have never seen rain like this anywhere, much less in Israel. The thunder was non-stop, just a constant rolling noise, as if the sky was having a really bad stomach-ache for several hours. Since Tzfat is on top of a mountain, none of the streets are flat. They all wind around, up and down hills, many of them pretty steeply inclined. So we were basically surrounded by rivers and streams, shooting down the streets and threatening to throw us off our feet if we weren’t careful. Luckily, Erika knew a nice Israeli family who took us in and fed us soup and tea. We fell asleep on their couches for a couple hours...I guess we still had to sleep off the fun of the night before. After that, we tried our best to hitch a ride to Tiveria, (the town that sits on the kinerret,) but to no avail. We ended up going back to the family we had stayed with for Shabbat, playing Psychiatrist with their kids, and falling asleep relatively early.
The next day we went to Tiveria by bus, rented bikes, bought some beer and snacks, and biked around the Kinerret. I think this is probably the most beautiful place in Israel. Every city has its charms, and every area of Israel has its natural beauty and meaning. But for me, the kinerret represents total serenity. I just look out over the water, which always seems to have a purplish tint to it, and I feel calm inside. It was also great to get some exercise on those bikes. After riding for a while, we stopped off by the shore to have our beers, and of course moments later it started to pour. We ran for cover underneath a tree, which didn’t really cover us so much, so we ended up soaked. We got some great pictures, though. Luckily, the rain let up after about 15 minutes, and we were able to bike back in good weather. Unfortunately, the clouds messed up the sunset, but that’s alright. I’ve seen it before, and I’ll see it again.
We got back to Jerusalem that night, and the next day we went to the City of David, which is a really cool historical site next to the Old City. I’ve been there before, but this was a different experience, since we had a really incredible guide. I love going on tours, I guess I can be somewhat of a history buff at times. Our guide had inside and out knowledge of the place, especially the archeology of it, and he was telling us about all the recent finds they had. One of them was a clay seal from the times of King David, bearing the name of someone mentioned in Tanach! Apparently they’ve found several of these in one spot, which leads archeologists to think it was a royal mail room or something. So much fun to see history come alive like that, I found that so incredibly cool. They found it this summer! How cool is it that this stuff is still being excavated and discovered every single day here? Ah, Israel.
So then it was time for classes to start up again, and honestly, I am SO glad about that. Vacation is nice, but I’m here to learn, and I really just want to get my focus back in swing again. So far, classes have been great. This term, I am taking the following: Interpersonal relationships, Jewish Philosophy, Breishit, Maharal (a kabbalist/commentator), Midrash (allegorical stories from the Talmud and elsewhere that are full of ethical teachings,) Derech Hashem (a famous philosophical work about G-d,) and a couple of one-on-one sessions I set up, to learn Kuzari and Rambam. I’ve only been back for 2 days, but so far, good times. The days are quite long, but it doesn’t feel like it. I love learning for its own sake, rather than for a grade. It’s just so freeing, and I can concentrate in the best way.
This Shabbat, I stayed at a Rabbi’s house who I am basically a bit obsessed with. I think I mentioned him in an earlier post. His name is Daniel Katz, and he was the one who taught those classes I went to with Ezra over the summer about logic and faith. He’s a really cool guy, with very deep insight and knowledge, and also happens to be extremely funny and personable. His wife is also very nice, and he has two cute kids to play with. It was great staying at his house, since the only contact I had had with him was on a more teacher-student level, and this time it was all very real, and I could relate to him as a human being, and really get to know what he’s like on a personal level. We talked for a long time about many things, including some of my own personal issues going on, and he definitely helped me clarify some of my confusions and worries. Obviously no single conversation is going to figure out my life, but it’s good to keep building, keep talking, keep getting advice from lots of people who I trust. At first I was nervous to call him up, since he’s pretty well-known and I just thought maybe I wasn’t worthy or something, but it was definitely a good decision. It’s like going up to the professor after a class, except this time it involves questions about life and happiness rather than a question about my mid-term, and I get yummy meals and a bed to sleep in rather than a grade. Anyway, anyone looking for someone awesome to chat with about things, give this guy a call. (or an email since it’s expensive for you all to call Israel. ) I highly recommend it. I’ve been meeting with several people, actually, just to chat and think about life. A couple of days ago, I even got to talk to a rabbi who I know from Meor, (the organization that runs the Maimonides program at Penn as well as the Israel trip that I came on this summer,) who has been living in Chicago and was only here to visit for a few days. We talked about how there is no point to being religious if someone doesn’t enjoy themselves and want to be doing it. It’s so true – if someone doesn’t love what they are doing (which doesn’t mean it’s never difficult, btw,) then why do it? I agree with that wholeheartedly, and I’ve been trying to live by it. There are many things that I’ve considered taking on since I’ve been here, but if I try something out and I feel unhappy, then I stop. That doesn’t mean that with time I won’t grow to enjoy something that right now doesn’t speak to me, but I’ll let time decide that, rather than push myself to be someone I’m not right now. I think that’s a much healthier way to go, in all realms, not just Judaism. The trick is not to confuse difficulty with unhappiness. If something is difficult for me, I first try and figure out why. If it’s because I don’t understand it, then I learn more about it, and usually come to see the beauty and applicability of the concept. If it’s because it triggers something emotional within me, then I deal with that issue on a deeper level within myself, and try to work out what it’s based on. And if it’s just that I am simply unhappy with it, then I leave it alone, and focus on other things instead. So far, that’s been working for me.
So, that’s been life for the past week or so. It’s been getting very cold here, lately. Who knew, Israel gets cold! We don’t start getting heat until it’s much colder, though, so right now I’m sleeping under three blankets and in a sweatshirt and sweatpants and sometimes my onesie on top, and a hat. Also, our hot water decided to stop working, so I’ve been either taking cold showers, or going to my friend’s place. Yeah, I’m slumming it a bit. But it’s really making me realize how relatively unimportant my surroundings are, as long as I’m involving myself in the right things, and using my time well. Who cares if it’s cold, so long as I have the right clothing to wear, the right people to hang around, and the right ways to pass the time? I’m usually the first one to complain about the temperature, but lately, things like that just aren’t phasing me. It feels good to be able to say that. I hope I can stay that way...it’ll make the materially hard times in life much easier, I think.
Time for bed. Layla Tov, blogosphere. I’ll post pictures at some point later.
Love, shira
PS you may have noticed I blocked comments on the last post after my final comment – sorry if that confused anyone, I just wanted to be able to go up north without missing anything. They work again now. (if it happens again, just assume I felt that I wanted that thread to end for whatever reason, and it’ll work again by my next post.)
PPS Have fun voting! Put the right man in office! Go, team!
