email as update again
Dear all and sundry,
(Being a student of Talmud, I am beginning to wonder who is included in sundry that was not already included in all, but I'll leave it as is for now.)
This has been an eventful week, with lots of bus trips. Monday, there was the MASA event. MASA is the scholarship that is helping me to stay learning here. I ran into many people I knew, including Scott & another friend from college, some fencing buddies, and the Young Judaea group, where I only knew the counselors, but fine. The event itself was…as can be expected. It was mostly cheesy, and a silly flag waving ceremony, but a good opportunity to see friends, and that made it all pretty worthwhile.
Tuesday the yeshiva had an afternoon trip to Meron, a city in the north. It is the burial place of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a rabbi from the period of the Mishna & supposed author of the Zohar, initial work of the Kabbala. There are huge gatherings there every year on Lag B'omer, the 33rd day after Pesach, which is Rabbi Shimon's yahrtzeit (anniversary of his death). We were only there for 2 hours, and it was PACKED. I got up close and personal with, well more of my Jewish brethren than I am really comfortable talking about. Also, it was vaguely carnival-like with people everywhere selling books of mystical wisdom and such. However, the bus trip took far too long for such a short visit.
I realized that I left out an important event from Tuesday. I finished a major section of the Mishna and was thus asked to speak at lunch. So I hobbled my way through the last Mishna, and through the prayers said on the occasion of finishing an Order (one sixth) of the Mishna. I spoke briefly on another Mishna of interest to me, and basically got told how wonderful I am. On some level it was embarrassing, because it doesn't feel like as much of an accomplishment as I guess it ought to. In any case, it was good, and it'll get all the rabbis to say nice things about me if anyone ever asks, which on some level at least, is worth the work I put in all by itself.
Thursday, I took the afternoon off and went to an SCA event in Ashkelon. I was early and helped with food prep, which was harder than it looked. Grinding meat is no easy task, especially when it is repeatedly ground (so it becomes slipperier and slipperier, and harder to sort of mash into the grinder without one of those mashy things to smoosh the meat into the grinder). However, pounding spices was actually fun (hooray for mortar & pestle). Then there was carrying stuff to the event site, which was in a park, and building a fire. dhole did the actual fire building, but I helped carry wood. The event itself was really cool, as it was mainly just a barbeque style feast followed by bardic circle (singing songs from Middle Ages). I'd thought I was staying over in Ashkelon, but as everyone was heading back to their homes, I decided to as well. I got a ride with lovechilde (as did just about everyone, which indicates how small the crowd was) to Tel Aviv, which put me on a bus to J'lem, and I was home. However, being a nut, I decided not to sleep at some point. Ah, but wait, there is the bus ride back. I was told there were no seats, but that I could stand. Fine, thought I. So I place my bags on the floor, and sit with them (on the floor). After 5 minutes when the lights go out, preventing my reading, I fall asleep with a sleeping bag for a pillow. Curled up in a ball I remain until just before our arrival in J'lem. I ended up stating up shmoozing with yeshiva guys till really early. I then took advantage of being awake & went to a Chassidic shul near the yeshiva that has a mikveh. So I mikveh-ed, and prayed, along with 2 other yeshiva guys. We hit up a coffee shop on the way back, which led to an interesting discussion of Halacha on the way back from coffee.
Then, we had a yeshiva Shabbaton in the holy city of Safed/Tzfat. Bus ride up, I completely collapsed (after one hour of sleep for the night, was anything else expected?) We were there in the earlyish afternoon, so people went off to do their own thing. One of the big things to do there is to visit graves of holy rabbis from long ago, many of which are associated with a certain segula (superstition is not the right word, but I can't think of a better one) for certain things such as getting married or doing repentance. So several guys went to do that, myself included. I went with a group to the more local cemetery, which included many great rabbis (the only one I think anyone will have heard of is the author of Lecha Dodi, but trust me there are others). There is also a famous mikveh there associated with a certain rabbi. It is said that those who use it will repent of their sins within a year. It was certainly an experience. Very cold, but not nearly as bad as it is made out to be. I also looked at the shops on the Artist Colony, but nothing appealed to me, at least until Sunday morning. They had a lot more swords than I remembered from the touristy trips I've taken there in past. And the candle factory was closed.
EDIT: The on;y one anyone who read the email will have heard of is Alkabetz, author of Lecha Dodi. However, Yosef Caro, Yitzhak Luria, the Alshich, Hanna & her 7 sons, and numerous others are buried there.
On Shabbat itself I prayed Friday night at Breslov (a sect of Chassidim), which was very crowded. I was absolutely exhausted, and kept falling asleep between prayers. I ate at the home of a family from that shul, which was very nice, despite the fact that I stained my shirt. The kids were a bit nuts, but not so bad.
Saturday morning I slept in, and went to one of later minyans in Tzfat, Tzanz, which is another Chassidic sect (in case anyone was wondering, there are lots and lots of sects). Davening there was pretty nice and timed out perfectly for me to catch up relatively quickly, and then be able to leave in time for lunch. Lunch was with the whole yeshiva, rather than individual families. The food was all right, and there were, as always speakers, (we usually only have one but this meal had two). What was different was that I was among them. I talked about a comment that Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, France 1100s) makes on the parsha which answered a question I had. This felt even less deserving of praise than my learning all the mishna to speak on Tuesday, but OK. I was again told I spoke very nicely, so if you hear good things from my rabbis, I guess you'll know why.
Saturday night we went to a concert by a band whose leader went to my yeshiva, so there's a definite connection. It was actually pretty awesome. I could see hiring them for my wedding if I get married in Israel (which I understand would make people sad, and thus probably not going to happen). A number of yeshiva boys off the street came in to join in the dancing and merriment, which was actually kind of cool.
Sunday, we had a hike in the north, which was not bad. It was a combination of a lovely stroll and a mountain covered with thorn bushes. So I think that covers my entire week. Hope you all enjoyed getting a nice long email, since I had such a full week. I imagine I won't have such an interesting week for at least a bit. Shavuot is coming up, which should be a blast here in yeshiva.
(Being a student of Talmud, I am beginning to wonder who is included in sundry that was not already included in all, but I'll leave it as is for now.)
This has been an eventful week, with lots of bus trips. Monday, there was the MASA event. MASA is the scholarship that is helping me to stay learning here. I ran into many people I knew, including Scott & another friend from college, some fencing buddies, and the Young Judaea group, where I only knew the counselors, but fine. The event itself was…as can be expected. It was mostly cheesy, and a silly flag waving ceremony, but a good opportunity to see friends, and that made it all pretty worthwhile.
Tuesday the yeshiva had an afternoon trip to Meron, a city in the north. It is the burial place of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a rabbi from the period of the Mishna & supposed author of the Zohar, initial work of the Kabbala. There are huge gatherings there every year on Lag B'omer, the 33rd day after Pesach, which is Rabbi Shimon's yahrtzeit (anniversary of his death). We were only there for 2 hours, and it was PACKED. I got up close and personal with, well more of my Jewish brethren than I am really comfortable talking about. Also, it was vaguely carnival-like with people everywhere selling books of mystical wisdom and such. However, the bus trip took far too long for such a short visit.
I realized that I left out an important event from Tuesday. I finished a major section of the Mishna and was thus asked to speak at lunch. So I hobbled my way through the last Mishna, and through the prayers said on the occasion of finishing an Order (one sixth) of the Mishna. I spoke briefly on another Mishna of interest to me, and basically got told how wonderful I am. On some level it was embarrassing, because it doesn't feel like as much of an accomplishment as I guess it ought to. In any case, it was good, and it'll get all the rabbis to say nice things about me if anyone ever asks, which on some level at least, is worth the work I put in all by itself.
Thursday, I took the afternoon off and went to an SCA event in Ashkelon. I was early and helped with food prep, which was harder than it looked. Grinding meat is no easy task, especially when it is repeatedly ground (so it becomes slipperier and slipperier, and harder to sort of mash into the grinder without one of those mashy things to smoosh the meat into the grinder). However, pounding spices was actually fun (hooray for mortar & pestle). Then there was carrying stuff to the event site, which was in a park, and building a fire. dhole did the actual fire building, but I helped carry wood. The event itself was really cool, as it was mainly just a barbeque style feast followed by bardic circle (singing songs from Middle Ages). I'd thought I was staying over in Ashkelon, but as everyone was heading back to their homes, I decided to as well. I got a ride with lovechilde (as did just about everyone, which indicates how small the crowd was) to Tel Aviv, which put me on a bus to J'lem, and I was home. However, being a nut, I decided not to sleep at some point. Ah, but wait, there is the bus ride back. I was told there were no seats, but that I could stand. Fine, thought I. So I place my bags on the floor, and sit with them (on the floor). After 5 minutes when the lights go out, preventing my reading, I fall asleep with a sleeping bag for a pillow. Curled up in a ball I remain until just before our arrival in J'lem. I ended up stating up shmoozing with yeshiva guys till really early. I then took advantage of being awake & went to a Chassidic shul near the yeshiva that has a mikveh. So I mikveh-ed, and prayed, along with 2 other yeshiva guys. We hit up a coffee shop on the way back, which led to an interesting discussion of Halacha on the way back from coffee.
Then, we had a yeshiva Shabbaton in the holy city of Safed/Tzfat. Bus ride up, I completely collapsed (after one hour of sleep for the night, was anything else expected?) We were there in the earlyish afternoon, so people went off to do their own thing. One of the big things to do there is to visit graves of holy rabbis from long ago, many of which are associated with a certain segula (superstition is not the right word, but I can't think of a better one) for certain things such as getting married or doing repentance. So several guys went to do that, myself included. I went with a group to the more local cemetery, which included many great rabbis (the only one I think anyone will have heard of is the author of Lecha Dodi, but trust me there are others). There is also a famous mikveh there associated with a certain rabbi. It is said that those who use it will repent of their sins within a year. It was certainly an experience. Very cold, but not nearly as bad as it is made out to be. I also looked at the shops on the Artist Colony, but nothing appealed to me, at least until Sunday morning. They had a lot more swords than I remembered from the touristy trips I've taken there in past. And the candle factory was closed.
EDIT: The on;y one anyone who read the email will have heard of is Alkabetz, author of Lecha Dodi. However, Yosef Caro, Yitzhak Luria, the Alshich, Hanna & her 7 sons, and numerous others are buried there.
On Shabbat itself I prayed Friday night at Breslov (a sect of Chassidim), which was very crowded. I was absolutely exhausted, and kept falling asleep between prayers. I ate at the home of a family from that shul, which was very nice, despite the fact that I stained my shirt. The kids were a bit nuts, but not so bad.
Saturday morning I slept in, and went to one of later minyans in Tzfat, Tzanz, which is another Chassidic sect (in case anyone was wondering, there are lots and lots of sects). Davening there was pretty nice and timed out perfectly for me to catch up relatively quickly, and then be able to leave in time for lunch. Lunch was with the whole yeshiva, rather than individual families. The food was all right, and there were, as always speakers, (we usually only have one but this meal had two). What was different was that I was among them. I talked about a comment that Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, France 1100s) makes on the parsha which answered a question I had. This felt even less deserving of praise than my learning all the mishna to speak on Tuesday, but OK. I was again told I spoke very nicely, so if you hear good things from my rabbis, I guess you'll know why.
Saturday night we went to a concert by a band whose leader went to my yeshiva, so there's a definite connection. It was actually pretty awesome. I could see hiring them for my wedding if I get married in Israel (which I understand would make people sad, and thus probably not going to happen). A number of yeshiva boys off the street came in to join in the dancing and merriment, which was actually kind of cool.
Sunday, we had a hike in the north, which was not bad. It was a combination of a lovely stroll and a mountain covered with thorn bushes. So I think that covers my entire week. Hope you all enjoyed getting a nice long email, since I had such a full week. I imagine I won't have such an interesting week for at least a bit. Shavuot is coming up, which should be a blast here in yeshiva.